Far Away
by UtSuKuShIi MoOn
Summary: AU Ryoma was returning to Japan after the tennis Us Openings, but while flying back to Japan, the airplane is sucked into a black hole in the sky. As the only survivor from the crash and far from home and his world, he must now find a way to return, but only if he survives the turbulent challenges that faces ahead of him, especially as a slave to a prince of a mysterious land. Yaoi
1. Chapter 1

Summary: AU – Ryoma was returning to Japan after the tennis Us Openings. It was going to be another boring flight, but in the midst of his traveling, a huge hole rips through the sky. The airplane is sucked in and crash lands in a desert. As the only survivor in a mysterious land far from America, Japan, and his own world, he must now find a way to return home, but only if he survives the turbulent challenges that faces ahead of him, especially when he is taken as prisoner to become a bed slave to a prince of a mysterious kingdom. Thrill Pair. Yaoi. Seme Ryoma, Uke Fuji.

Author's note: There will be OC characters. Characters may be out of character. This fan fiction is not related to the anime/manga. It will contain boy x boy.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Prince of Tennis.

**Warning**: Rated M for adult content.

* * *

**Chapter One: Far From Home **

Stifling a yawn, Ryoma stretched his arms and adjusted himself in his seat. Propping his elbow on the handle of the seat, he placed his chin on his palm, turning his head to look out the window. He could see nothing, but white fluffy clouds pass by. Sighing, he turned his gaze away from the window. He was on an airplane, flying back to Japan after winning the tennis US Openings. His mother had called a week ago, pestering him to return home since the competitions were over. Reluctantly, Ryoma had agreed because he knew if he didn't, his mother would make him go down the guilt trip. Besides, he did miss his cat, Karupin. Reaching into his carry on bag, he took out his mP3 player. Sliding the ear pieces into his era, he pressed the play button. As the music blasted into his ears, he leaned back against the seat, hoping to get some shut eye. It was barely two minutes later when he felt the airplane shake roughly, waking him up. Alert from the sudden shaking, Ryoma glanced around as people started putting on their seat belt. From the corner of his eyes, he noticed a mother tightly holding onto her daughter who was crying. A sudden dread sunk in as Ryoma quickly snapped his seat belt together.

In the midst of the chaos with people crying, talking, and screaming, he could barely hear the pilot talking on the radio, telling everyone to calm down. Sweat ran down the side of his face as he turned to look out the window again. His eyes widen at the sight of a large black hole in the middle of the sky. Everything around him went silent as the airplane continued to be pulled into the black hole. He could hear people praying silently, the soft whimper of a child, and the even breathing of everyone else. They had accepted their fate.

Closing his eyes, Ryoma muttered a name to himself, "Karupin." He was going to die, never to see his beloved cat again. His mother was going to wait, only to be devastated to hear that the airplane her son was on had crashed. His father wouldn't probably show any emotion, but he knew that his father would be sad as well. Then there was his cousin Nanako. She was like an older sister to him. He knew she would be crying over his death and then there was also Ryoga, his adopted older brother. Ryoga had left home earlier on, but it didn't change the fact that the two had also been close when they younger. Finally, his thought rested on his girlfriend of four years, Haru. The time they spent together was precious to him. Although he had devoted most of his life to tennis, she continuously waited for him patiently. She knew how important tennis was to him and thus, she accepted the fact that Ryoma wouldn't be spending much time with her. It pained him that he would not be table to tell her how much he loved her.

The first sound of the airplane falling came within minutes. Ryoma took a breath and exhaled slowly. The rattling and shaking continued as he felt his body become light. The airplane was descending. As though it was their final call, everyone became quiet. Only the sound of the wind passing by quickly echoed in the silent airplane...and then there was silence.

Groaning, Ryoma turned onto his side. His body was aching everywhere. Sitting up, he placed a hand to his head as he tried to remember what had happened. Blinking away the blurriness, he found himself inside a part of a torn down airplane. Ryoma gasped as it finally came back to him. He looked around and found dead bodies lying everywhere. The limbs of some bodies were bent in the wrong direction and some that were separated from them. Death stained the air. His hands quickly moved to his mouth as he suppressed the urge to vomit. Breathing heavily, he stood to his feet. Stumbling along as he walked, Ryoma used the metal side of the broken airplane to walk. Glancing to the side, he noticed the other half of the plane a bit farther away, but it was in flames. The sight of the flames already told him that there would not have been any survivors. He swallowed, hoping to rid of the lump in his throat, but it only made it worst. His stomach clenched and he felt woozy. Letting out a breath, Ryoma slumped over and puked whatever that was in his stomach. He wheezed for a bit, trying to regain his composure. It was too much for him to handle. Among everyone else, he had been the only survivor. His gaze went back to searching. He looked up, raising an arm over his face to block the scorching heat of the sun.

After getting pass the shock of being the only survivor and seeing the dead bodies, he finally realized that they had crashed into a desert. Just thinking about the heat made his throat itch from dryness, then again, it might be because he had just vomited a few minutes ago. Gathering what was left of his will, he went in search of the first aid kit, hoping that they had water stored somewhere. Unfortunately, as he searched, he realized that the first aid kit as well as all the other survival necessities were on the other half the plane which was still in flame. Cursing out loud, he slammed his fist into the metal wall of the broken airplane. Everything had gone so wrong. He was suppose to be in Japan with his family, where there was food, water, and shelter. He was suppose to be lying in bed with his girlfriend, enjoying the day as they lingered in bed, playing and teasing each other. A yearning to be home over came him. Logically, he knew he should stay with the airplane and find a way to make an SOS signal, but his body was telling him to move. Rummaging through the bags, he finally found his carry on bag. His mP3 was broken, so he left that behind, however his carry on bag, though ripped and torn, was still usable. He took out his cap and placed it on top of his head. Swinging the back over his shoulder, he started walking through the unknown desert, hoping that he would find some place for water.

Day turned to night and the heat of the sun suddenly turned cold. Wrapping his arms around himself, Ryoma dropped his bag. He opened it and took out his jacket. Quickly slipping on his jacket, Ryoma continued walking. He was exhausted and still in pain. He was also sure that somewhere inside his body, he had broken bones and internal bleeding, but it didn't stop him from moving. Dawn was on the horizon when Ryoma finally fell to the ground on his knees. His body was giving out. Taking in the hot, dry air into his body only made him thirstier. His eyes ready to close, but he forced himself to keep them opening. Standing once more, Ryoma continued on. The heat beat against his skin, making him sweat. He was losing the water in his body quickly, which wasn't good. Ryoma knew that if he lose too much, he would become dehydrated. He didn't have water with him either, which meant he wouldn't be able to replenish the water his body needed. His mouth had become dry and eventually, even the sweat that was cooling his body was beginning to stop. His was feeling light headed and even his heart was thumping a bit faster. If this went on, Ryoma knew he would probably die of dehydration before heat stroke.

Suddenly, in the distance, he noticed a group of dark silhouettes coming toward him. They were moving in his direction at a fast pace, leaving behind dust from the sand. Hope was spreading through Ryoma as he started to run to them. He was sure that they were people and if they were people, it meant that he was saved. In minutes, they were surrounding him. Ryoma saw blurred images of horses, but his gaze was focused on the figure sitting on top of a black horse. His gaze was piercing, sending a shiver down Ryoma's spine. All the men around him were covered from head to toe along with a cloth covering half their face, leaving only the eyes to be seen. There was a feeling of dread in Ryoma as he came to his senses. They were people, but they might be bandits...or worst, murderers. He gulped, but there was nothing to swallow.

Ryoma spoke hoarsely, "Please...help me..." Those were his last words before exhaustion took hold of his body and he fell to the desert floor, unconscious.

When Ryoma awoke again, he was staring at a stone ceiling. Confused, he sat up slowly, trying to figure out where he was. Memories came flashing back the moment he sat up. He remembered the men on horses surrounding him, but everything after that was black. He assumed that he had fell unconscious and the men took him. Ryoma tried to stand, but as he stood he heard the soft clinking of metal against metal. Glancing down at his feet, he saw that his feet were bound by metal chains. The dread he felt earlier came rushing back. Closing his eyes, he took calm even breaths. Now was not the time to panic. He had to find a way home. Suddenly, the door to the cell he was imprisoned in opened. Ryoma's eyes fluttered open quickly as he took a step backward. He stumbled and fell on his buttocks. Wincing, he slowly looked up at the person who stepped inside. The eyes he stared into was the same sharp gaze he had seen before passing out.

Ryoma's focus zoomed out and he noticed the clothing the man was wearing. It was a dark red, almost drapery like, clothing with no sleeves. Wrapped around his waist was an intricate, gold cloth belt. The bottom of the cloth ended at about mid-thigh, leaving the rest as skin. On his feet, he wore a brown cloth boot with ropes tied at the top and near the ankle to prevent it from falling. What also caught Ryoma's attention were the spectacles the man was wearing. Ryoma hadn't noticed them earlier when there was a cloth covering his face.

The man started to speak to Ryoma, "_Quci suen bou?_"

Frowning, Ryoma shook his head, "I don't understand."

As soon as he spoke, the other man closed his mouth and stared at him. Ryoma grew uncomfortable under the man's stare and shifted on his feet, scraping the chains against each other. The door opened again, turning Ryoma's attention to the new person who came in. Compared to the other man, the new person who stepped inside wore a toga like clothing. They began talking to each other in the language that Ryoma didn't understand. He had a gut feeling that they were talking about him. Suddenly, the new man who entered shifted his gaze to him. Ryoma gulped slowly. Even though the new guy seemed kinder with his nice, sleeked black hair with only two pieces of lock falling over his forehead, Ryoma still didn't trust him. When the man took a step closer to him, Ryoma took a step back. He glared at him, almost daring the man to touch him. If he did, Ryoma would fight back. They might not understand each other, but he was sure that facial expressions told a lot.

Ryoma tugged his head away when the man reached out and heard him say, "_Oi non nicen foa lei bou._"

Growling, Ryoma swung his fist out, but it was easily caught by the first man who was there. Ryoma scowled and cursed as both his hands were retained and bound. The man who was reaching out to him grasped him by the chin and yanked his head up. Staring into the gentle black eyes, Ryoma fell into a trance. A felt a tap on his forehead and then there was a rush of pain. Ryoma let out an agonizing scream, twisting his head away only to be caught again. The pain lasted for at least five minutes before it slowly started to fade. Breathing heavily, Ryoma slumped forward. Sweat beaded down his forehead, dripping onto the stone floor.

"Do you understand us now?" asked the man who had grabbed him by the chin.

Ryoma blinked, his eyes feeling heavy. He slowly lifted his head, trying to get a view of the man in front of him. "Ye-yeah...how..?"

"He gave you the knowledge," said the other man who had bound his arms.

Nodding his head slowly, Ryoma to stand straight, but his stomach churned and he slumped over again. He thought that he would get a moment of rest, but the man who had bound him yanked him by the ropes he was bound in, pulling him backward. He felt the impact of the wall, taking the breath out of him. Ryoma groaned in pain as his body slid down against the wall.

"Careful now Tezuka," said the man with the black hair, "we don't want him unconscious again. We need answers."

"Spy," muttered the man name Tezuka.

"Don't jump to conclusions."

"I wasn't Oishi."

Ryoma gazed up at them, confused. He didn't know what they were talking about. He wasn't a spy. He was just a tennis player who was flying back from America to return home in Japan. Sighing, Ryoma cluck his tongue, catching the attention of the other two. Looking up at them with a glare, Ryoma said, "I'm not a spy. I don't know anything. I was an airplane back to Japan when a huge black hole ripped through the sky. The airplane descended and we crashed landed here. I'm the only survivor and I'm pretty sure I need to see a doctor to check if I have any internal bleeding."

"Airplane?" they asked in unison.

Ryoma arched a brow at their puzzled expressions. "Yeah...you know, the metal things that fly in the sky."

"Fly in the sky? Oh...what is that? Some kind of magic?" asked Oishi with wide eyes, "I have never heard of a spell that can make one fly."

"No! Not magic that can...wait, magic? Spells? What the hell are you talking about?" Ryoma asked confusedly. There was no such thing as magic and spells. Maybe in movies and books, but definitely not in real life.

"He must be a country bumpkin," said a new voice that entered.

Ryoma shifted his gaze to the new person who entered the cell. He had red hair that swept out both ways and a bandage on his cheek.

"I am not a country bumpkin," Ryoma growled.

"I don't think he is either," Oishi agreed, "Do you wonder how you even started to understand?"

"Wha-yeah...I mean, how the hell did you do that?" Ryoma asked as he stared at Oishi.

"Magic," replied Oishi.

Lost for words, Ryoma scoffed. He started to laugh, as he shook his head. "You guys are crazy," Ryoma said accusingly.

"Maybe you are the one that is crazy," said the red head man.

"Don't antagonize him Eiji," Oishi cooed, "He's just confused. From the way he was speaking and acting, I'm quite sure he's not from here."

"Of course he isn't," Eiji said, "I know at least that much."

"No, I mean...Eiji, he may not be from this world at all."

Ryoma blinked at the statement Oishi said. He didn't understand what was going on. He was sure that he only crash landed somewhere in the middle east because of the clothes they were wearing, but now that he thought about it, it wasn't even possible.

"Forget it. Get him ready. He wants to see him," Tezuka ordered.

"Okay," Oishi said, "Then I'll head back first."

Oishi was the first to leave. Tezuka and Eiji were left behind. From the way Tezuka said things, Ryoma knew he was going to be taken somewhere. He tried to fight against them, but Eiji and Tezuka handled him easily, unlocking the chains on his feet, but keeping his hands bound. They pushed him out of the cell, blindfolding his eyes before they started making him walk. Although Ryoma wanted to shove them and run, he thought better of it. He didn't know the place and if he ran, he would most likely get caught again.

With the blindfold on his eyes, he couldn't memorize the place. However, he did know that they were making a lot of turns, like he was in some kind of labyrinth. As he continued to be pushed to walk, he heard the sound of a woman laughing. Flute and drums joined her voice as she began to sing.

_In the land of the desert_

_She walks and dances_

_She sings and laughs_

_Oh, how she lures the men_

_So sweetly, so lovingly _

_No beauty can ever rise above her_

_The lady of fine, black hair_

_A wild gazelle _

_Who lights the fire in man's heart..._

The song drifted, become a distant muffle as Ryoma walked away from it. He strained his hear so he could continue listening to the melodic voice, but it disappeared. Suddenly, they came to a halt. He heard the sound of a door opening and then he was shoved inside. Humid air blasted against his face. The blindfold came off and he found himself standing inside a large, white bath place. Statues decorated the place with water running out from them. It was foggy with steam, but he could still see the things. It was beautiful, striking him with awe.

"We've brought him," Siad Eiji, breaking Ryoma's trance.

He brought his to a sudden movement from behind a tree. An old man stepped in clothes similar to Oishi. He had black hair that was turning gray and silver eyes that seemed to see through the soul of others. Ryoma stiffened at the sight of the old man, but he was pushed forward again. Stumlbing forward, he stopped himself before smacking into the old man.

"This is him?" asked the old man as his eyes swept Ryoma's body from head to toe, "Hmph, I guess he'll do."

Arching a brow, Ryoma felt insulted. He might have not model worthy, but he confident that he was handsome. He had a great build because he played tennis. He had abs, with toned arms and legs. Women screamed after him even if they were only tennis fans. Scowling, Ryoma decided that he didn't like the old man.

"We'll leave him to you then, Raol," Tezuka said as he turned with Eiji.

The door shut behind them and Roal gestured for Ryoma to follow. Reluctantly, Ryoma followed that man, grumbling to himself. He did not get a good feeling from the baths.

"Strip," commanded Raol.

"Wha-what?! I am not stripping for you!" Ryoma exclaimed, aghast by the command.

_Thwap!_

Ryoma felt his head jerk to the side as a stinging pain spread across his cheek. Shocked that he had just been slapped by the old man, Ryoma growled and turned his head back to him. Rage seethed through him. He didn't care of the man was old, he was ready to pounce him and beat him into a pulp, but a sudden wave to an open archway caught his attention. Two guards stood by with armor and spears. Ryoma gulped and finally did as he was told. Raol untied his bound hands, allowing him to strip himself. Ryoma slipped off his clothes, letting them fall to the ground. Without even looking, he could feel the gaze of Raol on his baked body. Suddenly, he felt smaller...weaker. Shaking off the feeling, he waited for Raol's next command.

"Get in the bath. If you try anything funny, those guards over there will kill you," Raol said in a cold voice.

Clucking his tongue again, Ryoma stepped forward, but stopped. "What about my injuries? Shouldn't I get checked by a physician first?" he asked.

"Injuries? You have none. Last I heard, Oishi already examined you and you were fine...inside and out," Raol said, "Now get in."

Confused, Ryoma frowned. It wasn't possible to not have sustained any injury from a crash like that. Groaning, Ryoma felt a headache coming. Brushing the thought behind, he stepped into the bath and sunk his body in. His aching muscles and joints relaxed and he sighed contently. Closing his eyes, he ran his hand over his face, wetting it. Hearing Raol clap his hands together, Ryoma opened his eyes again. Looking up, he noticed a young girl walking forward. His eyes widened when he saw that she was naked. Raol had walked off and disappeared after she stepped inside the bath and walked to Ryoma.

"Uh...wait...wait!" Ryoma said as he moved quickly to escape her hands, "What are you doing?"

The girl with long, brown hair tilted her head to the side at his question. "I am...going to wa-wash you," she said shyly in stutters.

"I can do that myself," Ryoma said.

The girl shook her head, "I can't do that. I've been ordered by Raol to help wash you. Now, pelase, if...you don't mind...may I continue...my job? I would not like...to be punished for...being unable to do my job..."

Ryoma saw the blush on her face, but hearing that she might be punished for not washing him made him falter. Glancing to the side, he finally moved back to the spot he was sitting in earlier and waited for her. She motioned for him to stand and he did as she told. A wet cloth ran across his chest slowly. He tried not to look at her, but was finding it hard. Her smooth fingers ran across his body, spreading the soap. He felt the linger of he fingertips running down the side of his body to his thigh. He shuddered at her touch near his groin. Despite the fact that he knew he shouldn't be aroused because he had a girlfriend, his body still reacted. The first stir of his cock came when she moved, brushing her supple breast against arm. The touch of her hard nipples tickled his arm as she moved up and then down. A shaky sigh escaped his lips as she maneuvered to his back. Her body pressed against his back as she ran the wet cloth down his chest. He could feel the pressure of her breast against him, the curvature of her body molded perfectly with his body. She moved again, this time standing before him. He notice her gaze dart to his semi-erection. She blushed and looked away, continuing her job. Ryoma tried to take a step back, but her hands followed him. Before he knew it, she had slipped. Ryoma reached out to catch her, causing his erection to brush against the lips of her entrance. He heard her gasped and then moaned as she pressed her body against his. Ryoma groaned silently to himself as he felt his erection press into her.

"Shall I..." she whispered with a flush, "relieve you?"

Ryoma's eyes widened at her question. He gulped, wanting to be relieve from the pressure. He said quietly, "Wha-I mean...n-"

"Sakuno!" Raol yelled, surprising both Ryoma and the girl.

The girl was the first to draw away quickly. Ryoma glanced her as she looked to the ground shamefully. He looked over to Raol and felt his erection deflate from the menacing look in his eyes.

"I said to help wash him, not throw yourself at him," Raol hissed.

"I...I-I'm so-sorry," Sakuno said, her body shaking.

Ryoma huffed and turned toward Raol. "She didn't do anything. I was aroused by her and touched her first."

Raol's anger turned to him, but the old man didn't say anything. Instead, he dismissed Sakuno. Ryoma watched as the brunette girl gave him a quick glance before darting away. Sighing, he ran his fingers through his wet hair, giving a side way glance at Raol. He smirked at the old man, earning himself a scowl. He was then ushered out of the bath, quickly dried, rubbed in a sweet, spicy balm oil, and dressed. Ryoma wore a white drape dress, almost like a robe. A gold cloth was used like a belt to wrap around his waist. The top was slightly left open to reveal his smooth chest. Laces had to be tied down on the sleeves of his outfit before he was finally able to move again. He followed after Raol once more, leading him into another room. Raol walked away for a second and then returned with gold chains. Ryoma stared at it and shook his head once.

"I am not wearing chains like I'm some prisoner," Ryoma hissed.

"Prisoner? You're mistaken," Raol said amusingly, "You're to be taken as a bed slave."

"Be-bed slave?! Like a sex slave?!" Ryoma exclaimed in shock.

He tried to run, but he felt push from behind. Glancing over his shoulder, he noticed two guards had appeared. Cursing, he glared at Raol who was smiling at him. The gold chains snapped onto his wrist, clinking whenever he moved. Ryoma gritted his teeth together. He had to keep his anger in check. If he did anything reckless, it was his head. Once again, he was pushed along. The walk was silent with only the two guards behind him and Raol in front. Ryoma glanced around, noticing a courtyard. In the middle of the courtyard, there was a large fountain. As he walked by, he noticed a figure sitting by the fountain. The figure wore an outfit similar to his, but instead of opening up at the chest, it wrapped up to the figure's neck and there weren't any laces on the sleeves. From the nape down on the figure's back, there were laces that held the clothing together. Before he could take a closer look, he was shoved along. Growling at the guard who pushed, Ryoma glared and then cluck his tongue.

Silence filled the corridor. Looking around, Ryoma couldn't see anyone. He tipped his head down slightly and glance to the right and then to the left. Earlier on he thought that it wasn't a good idea to escape, but with how the way things were turning, Ryoma was going to risk. When the guards weren't paying attention, Ryoma moved his body to the right, shoving the guard down. The guard on the left reacted quickly, stabbing his spear forward. Ryoma dodged it and rammed his body against the guard as hard as he could. The guard toppled over, releasing his spear. Ryoma grabbed it with his chained hands and swung around. The spear clashed with the other guard's spear, just in time to prevent him from getting stab. He could hear Raol screaming out commands from behind the guard he was struggling with, but he ignored whatever Raol was saying. He jumped back, pulled both hands back and threw the spear. It flew, taking the guard by surprise. The moment gave him enough time to run. He turned on his heels and started to run in the direction they had came. Running through the open halls, he made a few turns, trying to remember which way he came. He knew that if he could get back to the courtyard, he was in the middle of the residence, which also meant that there was a better chance for him to find an escape route.

Stopping briefly only to catch his breath, Ryoma continued to run. He turned a corner and saw the courtyard before him. He hastened his pace, but suddenly a figure stepped in front of him. Ryoma skidded to a halt, stopping inches away from te pointed end of a sword. Taking a few breaths, Ryoma slowly looking up from the point of the sword and met with a pair of closed eyes. He fell to his knees, noticing how the sword followed him.

"You must be the new slave," said the person.

Taking a closer look, Ryoma realized that the person who was standing before him with a sword pointed at him was the same person he had seen earlier sitting by the fountain. At first he had thought the person was a female, but upon closer inspection, he saw that the person had a very flat chest. His voice was also a bit deeper. Although he had delicate arms and a slim body, the aura around the man held one of nobility.

"Prince Shusuke!" yelled Raol's familiar voice.

Ryoma's eyes widen as he heard the honorific. String up at the prince, Ryoma composed himself and asked the question he dreaded, "Where...am I? I am...on Earth aren't I?"

He saw the prince raise a brow at him for a quick second and then he answered, "You are in the Kingdom of Erutan...in the world of Armonia."

Ryoma caught his breath. It was as though he had stepped into a fantasy book. He wasn't in his own world anymore. He was far from the world he once knew.

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**Author's note**: I know, I know. I shouldn't be writing new stories when I have other fanfics to finish. But...but, I really wanted to write this one! This is just a preview. I probably won't continue it until after I finish my other fanfic or...it might just take a while to update. So, please review. I know it might have started off a bit slow, but I promise it'll get interesting!


	2. Chapter 2

Author's note: There will be OC characters. Characters may be out of character. This fan fiction is not related to the anime/manga. It will contain boy x boy.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Prince of Tennis.

**Warning**: Rated M for adult content.

**Chapter Two: The Keeper**

* * *

Ryoma was too shocked to comprehend what had happened next. There was a shuffle of footsteps heading to him and then a he felt a pull. His head was yanked back by a painful tug on his hair. Wincing, Ryoma broke from his shocked trance and glared up at the perpetrator. It was none other than Raol. He scowled and tried to pull his head away, but only cause Raol to tighten his grip on his hair.

"Let him go Raol," said Prince Shusuke.

Raol reluctantly let go of Ryoma's hair. Ryoma huffed, but he was thankful that Raol had released his hair. Glancing back to the prince, he noticed that the prince's eyes were open, revealing a pair of deep blue eyes. The first thought that entered his mind was how beautiful the eyes were. They were so blue, almost like the sea with a hint of mystery. It stirred something inside him, burning into the depths of his very soul. It was like his eyes were calling to Ryoma. For a brief moment, Ryoma wondered what it would look like if those eyes were misted over with lust as the man writhed beneath him in pleasure.

"Call the Priest here," commanded the prince.

Ryoma broke from his gaze and looked away. He had never been so entranced by eyes before to the point where it caused shivers down his spine. Even Haru, his girlfriend, did not stir such emotions inside him. Gulping, Ryoma shook the feeling off. He did not like men. He knew that he was a straight, heterosexual man. He had a girlfriend, though she was far from his reach now. Ryoma had also never looked at another man with desire and passion. The prince was the first, which confused him greatly. Closing his eyes, he pushed the feeling back. He was not a homosexual and he was sure of that. For a second he thought maybe the prince had cast a spell on him, but it didn't seem the prince had done such a thing either.

Footsteps in the distance drew him back into reality, or at least, back into the world he was currently in. Lifting his head, he noticed the man called Oishi, enter the courtyard. His eyes followed after the smiling Oishi who went straight to the prince's side and bowed his head slightly.

"You called for me Prince Shusuke?" asked Oishi.

Shusuke nodded his head, "This man here...it's as though he doesn't know of this world..."

"That's because he doesn't," Oishi replied.

"And why is that? I heard Tezuka and the others found him drifting in the desert. He was near the palace."

"Ah, well that is because...Prince Shusuke, this man here is not from this world."

"A being from another world? I've never heard of such a thing happening."

"Neither have I, but it seems that it is possible. I'm currently looking into it."

"Are there others?"

"I heard Tezuka had his men did a thorough search of the desert, but he was the only man."

"Impossible!" yelled Ryoma with wide eyes. The plane had crashed and he saw with his own eyes, the dead bodies of the other passengers. He was not the only one there. However, if he did consider the thought, he was the **only one** there because he was the only survivor. Still, he knew that there were other bodies. His eyes darted between the prince and the Priest, but he saw Oishi shake his head.

"I'm sorry...they couldn't find anything," Oishi said slowly.

And then everything was reeling inside Ryoma's head. He kept telling himself he was dreaming. It just wasn't possible. Magic, spells, slaves, and a prince...they weren't things that he would normally come into contact with. Sure, he knew that there were plenty of other cultures out there that might have something along the lines like spells, such as curses and rituals, and royalties like Britain with their Queens and Princes, but he had never heard of a place called Erutan, especially in a world called Armonia. Taking a breath, Ryoma closed his eyes tightly. He whispered under his breath, just like Dorothy from the movie _The Wizard of Oz_ had did, hoping that when he opened his eyes, he could be back on the airplane and that everything was just a horrible dream. He opened his eyes, but the scenery was exactly as he had seen it before closing his eyes. The prince still stood before him with the priest by his side and Raol next to him.

"Tell me I'm dreaming," Ryoma muttered as he lifted his hand, causing the chains in between the handcuffs to clink against each other. He moved one hand over his arm and pinched himself, but nothing happened. He pinched harder, but still nothing. Huffing, he growled out a curse. He was about to stand up when he felt something sharp poke his rib. Wincing, he looked over his shoulders and saw the two guards he had pushed earlier right behind him with their spears.

"I suggest that you don't do anything stupid," said the prince before turning his gaze to Raol, "And my un-I mean, the King still wishes to see him?"

"Yes," Raol answered, giving Ryoma a brief glare, "We're late because he tried to run."

Ryoma cluck his tongue at Raol, turning his attention back to the prince who was whispering to Oishi. He saw Oishi nod his head before leaving the prince's side.

"I will accompany you then Raol," Shusuke said.

With that said, Ryoma was forced to stand and once again, resume their walking. Shusuke was standing beside Raol as they walked toward the direction he ran from. Biting his inner cheek, Ryoma glanced around the place warily. He didn't understand how it was possible to land in some new world. He never believed in those science theories about parallel worlds, but it seemed that the more he found himself unable to leave, the more be started to believe that maybe he was in some parallel world.

It didn't take long to reach the throne room. As he entered, he felt all eyes on him. Ryoma gulped as he glanced to the floor. He was never the type to feel embarrassed or awkward in front of a crowd. He was a tennis player, so there was always an audience, but being in a room full of people who were staring at him as though he was some intruder made him shiver slightly. Gulping back the sudden fear, Ryoma grit his teeth together and pulled himself together. Bringing his gaze up, he held his head high and walked down the wide aisle with the people standing on the side, watching him as he walked behind the prince and Raol. They came to a stop where Ryoma laid his gaze on a middle age man. He noticed Raol and Shusuke bow before him and followed suit.

"I was beginning to think that you would never come with him," said the man.

"Apologies your majesty. The slave...was quite the hassle to bring here," Raol said with a slight annoyance in his tone.

Ryoma smirked with his head bow. He wasn't going to let Raol have his way that easily. The king's authoritative voice broke his train of thoughts, causing him to glance up from under his bangs.

"Couldn't even handle one slave? He must be quite a man then. Raise your head slave," the king commanded.

Ryoma gritted his teeth. He disliked being called a slave. For one, he wasn't a slave in the first place. He was a man captured by insane people who decided to chain him. Secondly, he didn't even belong in the world, which meant he was not a citizen at all. He didn't have to go by the rules. And lastly...because he knew he wasn't a slave in his own world. Biting back the urge to spew grudging words, Ryoma looked up and stared into the eyes of the king.

"You were found in the desert near our palace. Are you a spy?" asked the king.

"I know nothing of your world," Ryoma hissed with a glare.

"Nothing? Ah, that's right...so what I heard was true then. You are not of this world...and yet you look as every bit of human as we do."

"Of course. I am human. If you can't tell by my looks, then you are not befit to be a ruler."

He heard the swish and clinks of weapons being raised, but Ryoma didn't back down. If they wanted a fight, then he was going to put up a fight. However, the king halted them. Ryoma saw him smile slowly. He did not like the look of it. It seemed he may have dug his own grave by saying such an insult to him.

"Witty, aren't you?" the king asked, though it was more of a rhetorical question. "Prince Shusuke." The king turned his attention to the prince who raised his head. "I have decided to give you a gift. Take good care of him because it is a gift from me. From now on, this slave here shall be yours to keep."

"A gift, uncle?" asked Shusuke with a slight surprise in his voice.

Ryoma noticed the king frown at being called uncle.

"You are not to address me as uncle when you are in the presence of the council and I am on the throne," the king said sternly.

"Forgive me your majesty. Habits die hard. But, how can you give me a gift that I had ordered to be searched for after seeing a mysterious object in the sky?"

"Because I was the one who ordered for him to be taken and cared for while you would have ordered for his death without even looking into it. Besides, you have yet to take a bed slave. This one will do you good. Train him well."

Ryoma huffed and then said, "You speak as though I am not here. I haven't agreed to be a bed slave! And you cannot just make me a slave when you know I am not of this world!"

"Do not speak without permission!" yelled of the men beside the king.

Ryoma felt a hard thrust against his cheekbone. Pain spread through his face as he fell to the ground. Hissing, Ryoma pressed his forehead against the floor while clenching his teeth. Somewhere ahead of him, he heard Shusuke cursing at the guard who hit him.

"What do you think you are doing, touching my property? Did you not hear the king just say that he is now mine?" Shusuke growled out.

Ryoma heard the guard apologize, but other than that, everything was beginning to blur again. He did not want to pass out in front of a crowd, but his body was telling him other things. Holding onto the strength to stay awake, he was suddenly pulled to his feet. With his head spinning, it was a lot harder to walk by himself. He only noticed the room spinning as he was forcefully turned and pushed to walk again, this time out the large doors. Things after that just seem to flow without him remembering a thing. By the time they reached the courtyard again, Ryoma finally let his body fall to the floor, letting the darkness envelop him. The last thing he heard was Shusuke ordering the guards to take him to his cell.

Again, Ryoma woke up to the same stone ceilings. He cursed mentally to himself. It wasn't a dream in the end. Closing his eyes again, he took a deep breath. There was no point in moping. He had to adapt to the world if he wanted to find a way home. The first thing he had to do was to learn the culture. After that, maybe get them to teach him how to fight and lastly, learn about all those magic stuff. When he finally finished planning, he realized he wasn't alone in the cell. Eyes fluttering open, Ryoma turned his head to the side and saw the prince sitting in a chair with a book in his hands. His movement caused the sheets underneath him to rustle which made the prince notice that he was awake.

Shusuke turned his eyes toward him, "You're finally awake. Hn, pretty weak for a man."

Ryoma scowled as he sat up in the uncomfortable cot, "And you're pretty creepy for being here while I was knocked out. Besides, I haven't eaten in a while and neither was I given water to drink. I'm surprised I haven't died of thirst."

"That's because the priest already handled all that while you were unconscious."

"Huh...I shouldn't be surprised."

Fuji closed his book and stood up from the chair. Ryoma raised a brow at him as he turned to face him. "I came here to tell you some good news," Fuji said.

"What? That I'm going to be sleeping with a prince, so I should be honored?" asked Ryoma sarcastically.

"You should learn to keep your mouth shut," Fuji scowled at him.

"Your king loves it."

"My uncle is merely amused by it."

"Ah, that's right. Your uncle is the king. So what? You next in line or something? Oh, maybe his son is or are you a candidate?"

"My father was the true king, but he died in the war. I am the true heir, but I have yet to reach the age of adulthood."

"What? But aren't you-"

"Besides, my uncle has no heir. His taste...runs elsewhere."

"...oh great, now you guys have a gay king."

"Gay?"

Ryoma lifted both his brows as he noticed the look of confusion on Shusuke's face. Sighing, he rubbed his temple with his finger. "It means that a man likes other men," Ryoma explained.

"Is what you call it in your world? In Armonia, it's called Seklita," Shusuke said.

"More or less...there are other terms for it as well, but most say that word in my world."

"Is that uncommon in your world?" Shusuke asked curiously, "I mean a man sleeping with another man."

Ryoma lifted his gaze and stared at Shusuke. For a moment, he thought the other man was cute, but he quickly brushed the thought away. He shrugged and answered, "Not really, but it's looked down upon in our society. In my world, relationships of the same gender are a taboo. It's not right."

"What an...odd culture."

"You're one to talk. Making me a bed slave...honestly, you're uncle is an asshole."

"Do not speak of him that way."

Ryoma scoffed, but he did notice Fuji glaring at him. He smirked in returned and then shrugged his shoulders. He was waiting to see if Fuji would say anything in return, but instead Fuji sighed. Frowning, Ryoma let the silence drag as he waited for Fuji to speak.

"I came here to tell you...that you need not to worry about becoming a bed slave. I do not wish to bed with you. I would not like to see you...spreading your legs for me," Fuji said tiredly.

"Me spreading my legs for you?" Ryoma asked incredulously, "As if I would do that. You must be out of your mind if you thought I would have sat back and let anyone fuck me."

Fuji raised a brow at him, "So what? If I did take you as a bed slave, you were expecting me to spread my legs for you?"

"Hell yes."

"I would do no such thing."

"Well, neither would I."

They stared at each for a moment before Fuji broke the contact. Ryoma heard the prince sigh again. Leaning his back against the stone wall, he crossed his arms across his chest and tipped his chin up a bit.

"This is a pointless argument. We're not even going to be sleeping together," Fuji said.

"So, I guess this means this cell will become my new home?" Ryoma asked with sarcasm.

Fuji stared at him and smiled slightly, "Yes. Make good use of it." Ryoma watched as Fuji turned to leave, but he stopped briefly as the door opened for him to leave. "Ah, but don't try to do anything stupid. There will be guards by the door," he said.

"I don't even know how to use a spear, let alone a sword," Ryoma said blandly.

"No, but even a commoner can use a knife to slit someone's throat."

"I'm not a violent person."

"No...I guess not. You seem to use your mouth a lot more...but desperation can cause someone to think recklessly."

The door shut with a loud bang as Fuji left, leaving Ryoma in the dimly lit cell alone. Clenching his hand into a fist, he pounded it against the cot, grumbling under his breath. That's when he realized there was something around his neck. His eyes widened as his hands quickly reached for the object wrapped around his neck. He felt it and cursed loudly. As he lied unconscious, they had strapped a collar to his neck.

"Bastards!" he yelled under his breath. He tugged at it, but it seemed it needed a key to take it off. Sighing, he resigned himself to lying down. He did not like the prince and he despised the king as well. He hated everything in this world. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes. He would think of Haru and Japan; maybe that would calm him down.

* * *

A few hours had passed, with some food and water being given to him in between, when the door suddenly opened. Two guards stood by the door and ordered him to get up. Raising a brow at him, Ryoma asked jokingly, "I thought the prince didn't want to bed with me, though he is missing out."

The guards didn't say anything back. Instead, they ordered for him to get up again. Sighing, Ryoma got up from the bed and walked towards them. He was once again led back to the bathing house. Ryoma grumbled when they brought him back there. Raol appeared before him with a smug look. Rolling his eyes, Ryoma waited for the man's order. Once again, he was ordered to strip. Doing as he was told, Ryoma stripped himself and stepped into the bath. A different woman came to wash him, but this time his body didn't react to her. He was too frustrated and angry to react to a naked woman. Besides, Haru was still on his mind.

The bathing went by a lot faster, but getting ready and dressed seemed slower. Like before, he was rubbed with some sweet, spicy balm oil that made his skin glow. The process was slow as they rubbed him thoroughly, even on his genitals. It felt odd, but he had to bear with it. When they were done, a small garment was brought to him. A mere cloth covered his lower region. A gold sash with beautiful embroidery wrapped around the waist to keep the cloth on. He was dressed less that before which gave him a horrible feeling that something wrong was going to happen. When he thought he was done, the slaves came back with a bowl of gold paint. Arching a brow at the bowl, he turned his questioning gaze to Raol.

"Paint," Raol stated.

Frowning, Ryoma was about to refuse, but a cold finger pressed against his abdomen, causing him to suck in a breath. He slowly exhaled as the other began to draw intricate designs with the paint. From the corner of his eyes, he could see Raol scowling. He tilted his head sideways and raised his brow at him.

"Aren't you supposed to be happy that you're getting to humiliate me?" Ryoma asked.

Raol glared at him and then shrugged, "Prince Shusuke dislikes paints being used on slaves. He says it ruins their natural look...makes them look like ugly."

"So...why am I getting painted?" he asked.

"Because the king ordered it. Believe me, I would much rather listen to the prince, but the king is still the king."

Ryoma frowned, not quite understanding. If the king was Shusuke's uncle, then why do something he did not like? An uncle should at least know what his nephew likes or dislikes. Then again, if they are royalty, who knew how close or how distant they were to each other. Ryoma pushed the thought away. There was no need for him to think about such things. It had nothing to with him anyways.

The painting was finally done. Swirls and dots were drawn on his abdomen to his chest. His arms were also painted with the same intricate design. It felt weird, but there was nothing he could do at the moment. Finally, he was led away from the baths. He was taken into a large ball-like room. People filled the space, but what caught his eyes were the many chained slaves. They were dressed and decorated just like him, but he noticed a small difference. The collars on the slaves' necks had chains on them and they were forced to crawl on the floor like some animal. Ryoma frowned at the sight, anger building up inside him. He could not believe how horrible these people treated other people. Slaves or not, they were humans as well. Biting his tongue, he looked at the floor to avoid seeing the scene before him. If he did not do that, he was sure that he would lash out on them. He was led toward the crowd until finally, they left him to wait by the wall. As he leaned against the wall, he waited for Raol and the guards to return, but they never did. Anxious to find where they had gone, Ryoma started to wander. He came upon an archway with a cloth hiding the other side. Curiosity got the better of him as he strolled toward the entrance. A few feet away, he could hear some laughter and moaning. Arching a brow, his hand reached out to open the curtain, but a voice from behind him prevented him from opening it.

"I wouldn't open it if I were you," said the voice.

Jumping slightly at the voice, Ryoma quickly turned around. Shusuke stood in front of him with a wine cup in his left hand.

"They're having quite the orgy in there," Shusuke said.

Ryoma didn't know what kind of expression he made, but with the way Shusuke was laughing at him, he was sure he made a disgusted face. Shaking his head, he followed after Shusuke who nodded for him to follow. After a while of walking behind him, Ryoma hastened his pace and stood beside him. He got a few looks for that, but he didn't care.

"What exactly is going on?" Ryoma asked.

"It's a party," Shusuke said as though Ryoma could not tell what was going on.

"Then why the need for collars and chains?" Ryoma asked with a raised brow.

"Those are the slaves...the party is a...sexual one."

Ryoma made a noise of disgust. He glanced back to the salves, crawling on the floor after their masters. He frowned again and shook his head. He looked over to Shusuke and said, "I guess I should be lucky that you are not asking me to be chained and crawling on the floor." The statement earned a wry smile from Shusuke.

"Yes," he replied before opening a curtain into an adjoining room. Ryoma followed in after Shusuke, but stopped abruptly when he noticed other men in the room. Warily, he shifted his gaze over to the prince who sat himself down in a chair. He walked over, standing beside him. However, the condescending looks he received from the other men told him he should be doing something else. Gnashing his teeth together, he bit back words of insult.

"You should have your slave kneeling," said one of the men, "A slave does not have equal power to...their master."

He felt his lips twitch slightly at the man's words. Glancing down to Shusuke, he noticed the prince swishing the wine in his drink. A long silence ensued after the man's words. Many of the men in the room were beginning to nod their head in agreement, however Shusuke didn't reply in agreement. Instead, Ryoma watched as the prince sipped his drink. When the cup was lowered and set on the table, he noticed a smile gracing Shusuke's lips.

"But I do not like him kneeling. Just looking at him, you can see that this slave is not the type to kneel before others. He has too much pride," Shusuke said, "kneeling does not...suit him."

The glare of the men made Shusuke smile wider. Ryoma could not tell what the prince was up to, but it seemed that if the prince continued to antagonize the other men, he would be making enemies, that is, if they weren't enemies already.

One of the men sighed and then said, "You seem to be favoring him a bit."

"Favoring?" Shusuke asked with a raised brow before he chuckled, "No, not at all. I just dislike the way slaves are treated...the way they are painted on as though they are some...object, forced to crawl as though they are...animals."

"Ah, but prince, they are objects," said another man, "They are for our e-"

"Whatever," Shusuke waved off the subject, "Anyways, you all wanted to see this slave up close, so here he is."

Ryoma stiffened at Shusuke's words. He did not like the sound of it. From the corner of his eyes, he noticed one of the men wave his hand toward the archway. There was a sound of some rustling then footsteps. The curtain opened slowly and a young boy walked forward. His blond hair glistened as he walked toward the men. Ryoma watched in silence as the boy stopped before the men, standing in the middle of the room as though he was some spectacle. He wore nothing, but a small cloth around his waist to cover his nether region. The cloth was even smaller than the one that was given to Ryoma to wear. He was also adorned in jewelry with silver paint drawn onto his pale, ivory skin. Ryoma's gaze drifted to his face, taking in the complexion. The boy had big, blue eyes with plump, pink lips. If Ryoma swung the other way, he was sure that even he would be turned on. But, the one thing that would turn him off was the fact that the boy was still young, ten as most. Frowning, he looked down to Shusuke confusingly, but the prince leaned back in his chair and stared on. Huffing, Ryoma looked back to the boy for a second before he noticed the disgusting, perverted looks of the old men.

"Why don't we test out your bed slave, Prince Shusuke?" asked the man who had mentioned Ryoma should be kneeling.

"Yes, why don't we?" agreed another.

Ryoma opened his mouth to refuse the offer, but Shusuke spoke before he could. "Sure, why not," Shusuke agreed with a shrug.

Ryoma stared at the prince incredulously. He quickly looked over to the young boy who was quivering as he turned to face him. Ryoma closed his eyes, clenched his hands and turned to look down at Shusuke. "I am not fucking a child," he growled.

Shusuke's blue eyes turned toward him, staring him straight in the eyes. Ryoma didn't flinch. He returned the stare with a glare. He would rather be beaten into a pulp than commit a crime or become some kind of entertainment for their sick pedophilia. The silence loomed at the two stared at one another. Ryoma did not dare to look away. There was no way he was going to allow such a thing to happen.

The silence broke when one of the men finally spoke, "Your slave seems to be very disobedient."

There was another moment of silence before Shusuke turned his attention to the men. He smiled at them and then said, "I'm sorry. It seems that my slave is only loyal to me." Shusuke stood and started to leave.

Sighing in relief, Ryoma followed after Shusuke, glad to be out of the stifling room. As the curtain closed behind him, he wondered what would happen to the young boy. Staring at the back of Shusuke's head, he asked, "What about the boy?"

"The boy is Duke Hemming's slave. I can't do anything about it," Shusuke said in a strained voice.

Ryoma glared and then sighed, "And to think you were going to make me sleep with him in front of all those perverted men."

"I was testing you. Seems like you're at least an honorable man."

"In the world where I come from, sleeping or touching a child sexually is considered a crime."

"Is that so? Your world must be a peaceful place."

"Partially. I believe, in any world, crime is something that would always be there. However, in my world, there is no such thing as slaves anymore, especially bed slaves."

Shusuke turned into another room, but this time the men who were in there were at least some that Ryoma knew by face. Among them were Oishi, Tezuka, and Eiji. The men bowed before Shuusuke before returning to their seat. Shusuke sat down in of the chairs and motioned for Ryoma to sit beside him. Shifting awkwardly on his feet, Ryoma made his way over to the seat beside Shusuke and sat down.

"Have you found anything?" Shusuke asked Oishi.

Oishi shook his head, "I'm currently looking into all the scrolls, but there is nothing speaking about beings coming from another world."

"Keep looking."

"Yes, Prince Shusuke. Oh, by the way...what is your name?"

Oishi gave Ryoma the most friendliest smile. Ryoma stared at him blankly. For the first time, someone had asked for his name. The whole time he was called as "slave" and he never realized how much relief it brought him to know that someone will finally know his name. Closing his eyes, Ryoma relaxed. "Ryoma," he said.

"And where is this world that you from?" asked Oishi. He added with a light chuckle, "It might make things easier for me."

"Japan," Ryoma said, but then corrected himself, "Well...sort of. I was returning from America to Japan. My mother...she wanted to see me."

"America? Japan?" asked Eiji, confused by the names, "What weird names."

"Armonia and Erutan are weird names," Ryoma retorted, "Which reminds me...I know I'm supposed to be in the Kingdom of Erutan, but exactly where in this kingdom? We're in the middle of a desert...are there cities at least?"

He looked over to Shusuke who motioned for Oishi to grab something. Oishi disappeared for a brief moment before returning with a paper in hand. He unrolled the paper on top of the paper, revealing a map. Ryoma leaned forward to take a look at it. On the map, it showed five lands, one of them was named Erutan.

Shusuke pointed to Erutan which was on the left corner, "This is the Kingdom of Erutan, the place you're currently in. Right now, you're in the Province of Iskyndri within the city of Jeurel where the palace is located. We're in the desert because it makes it harder for our enemies to attack us. However, not far from here is also the River of Shenan which is to the east of here. To the west is the River of Dal. We are surrounded by an ocean, as you can see, but it takes some time to get there. Below our kingdom is the Kingdom of Boswanna. Boswanna is considered as the richest kingdom. They are also a neutral kingdom, meaning they don't partake in wars between kingdoms. North of Boswanna is the Kingdom of Chelcia. We're currently their allies through a political marriage. Northeast of Boswanna is the Kingdom of Ghazi. Above Ghazi, next to the Kingdom of Chelcia, is the Kingdom of Alruhan...we're currently in a dispute with them."

Eventually they went through the different provinces in the kingdom and the different cities. There was a lot to remember, but Ryoma made a note of each one. If he wanted to adapt well, he had to learn them. They were interrupted in the middle of talking about the city of Ruktia when a man with silver-grayish hair walked into the room and knelt toward Shusuke.

"Nio," Shusuke said as he stood and walked over to him, "Stand."

Nio stood from the ground, "I have come to report."

Ryoma strained his ears to hear, but they were whispering quietly. Eventually, the two left with Tezuka and Eiji following after them. A few minutes later, another boy walked into the room. All eyes fell on the stranger and suddenly the relaxing atmosphere turned tense. Ryoma blinked and stared at the young boy who was standing by the archway. He wasn't moving an inch from it as though there was an invisible barrier.

"Hi-his majesty wishes to see Prince Shusuke's slave," the boy stuttered, looking away from the group of men in the room.

For a moment, Ryoma sat in his chair and stared at the boy. He was unsure of what to do, but since no one was objecting, he slowly stood and started walking toward the boy to follow him. He was a few feet away when he felt a hand pull on his arm. Turning is head, he looked over his shoulder and saw Oishi looking at him worriedly.

"I don't think you should go," he said.

Ryoma gave him a blank stare, "But he's the king isn't he? All orders from him go right?"

"Well, not exactly. There are men that only follow orders from Prince Shusuke. For example, these men in the room are his loyal guards. That is to say...since Prince Shusuke brought you here, you are now one of us."

"So all of sudden I'm just suppose to become loyal to him?" Ryomas asked, "Sorry, but it won't happen that fast."

Ryoma tugged his arm away and followed after the young boy. They passed through hall and then exited the ball room. They entered into the garden and followed a path. He was led to a gazebo where the boy told him to wait. Ryoma sat down on the stone bench and looked around. Looking up at the sky, he hadn't noticed earlier, but it was nearly evening. The sky was already turning a midnight blue with a mix of orange. It was peaceful sitting there alone with his thoughts. His gaze dropped and he took notice of the garden. Trees and flowers surrounded the area. To his left, he saw a dirt path leading into a maze of bushes. In the distance, he could hear the sound of running water. Sighing contently, Ryoma shifted on the bench. He still wanted to think it was a dream, but it was pointless to be in denial. He had to accept the truth, that somehow he had been warped into some other world.

The sound of footsteps stirred Ryoma from his thoughts. He looked up from the ground and saw the king approaching him. For a moment, Ryoma stared at him. He debated whether he should kneel before the king or should he remain as he was. In end, Ryoma chose to remain where he was.

"Did you like the garden?" asked the king.

"It was...nice," Ryoma said with a small shrug.

The king chuckled and sat in on the bench across from him. Ryoma watched him warily, but the king didn't seem to be doing anything suspicious. Still, Ryoma didn't trust him. After all, it was that man who made him into a bed slave and gave him away like object to his nephew to be a gift.

"I apologize for making you into a bed slave," the king said as though he was reading Ryoma's mind.

Taken aback by the apology, Ryoma raised a brow, "Your...majesty?"

"Please, call me Rohan. At least when we are alone, call me that. And your name? I don't wish to call you slave all the time."

"Ryoma...so, why the apology?"

"Ah...well, you see, I was actually hoping if you could watch over my nephew for me and...report to me about what he does."

"What am I, his keeper?"

"Sort of." Rohan grinned at him and then shook his head, "I just want you to watch over him for me. If it was me, I don't think he would like it. Ever since his father's death...Shusuke has been mistrustful of everyone on the court, including myself. I want what's best for him, but every time I try to get close, he pushes me away. And then when I tried to ask his guards, they never tell me anything. They despise me, though I have no idea why." Rohan sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Please...help me."

"I don't understand why you would trust a stranger with this."

"That's the whole point. It's because you're a stranger why I can trust your words. You have no bias about me or my nephew."

Ryoma shift in his seat and glanced away from the king. "Okay, but on the condition that you must answer whatever question I ask," Ryoma said without looking at the king. He waited a moment before turning his gaze back to Rohan.

Rohan closed his eyes and then nodded his head, "Of course. Since you are willing to help me understand my nephew, I will answer those questions with the best I can give."

"How come Prince Shusuke is not on the throne?" Ryoma asked. He noticed the Rohan's posture become frigid. His eyes narrowed at the slight movement. It didn't seem right that the king would suddenly become stiff after hearing him ask that question.

Rohan let out a breath and then answered, "He has yet to reach the age of adulthood. In Armonia, a boy is not an adult until he has reached the age of twenty-five. It is when a boy has reached maturity, to think for himself without being rash. At least, that is what we believe. Shusuke is still twenty-four. He will be twenty-five in five months, but until then, I am to rule as king. I want Shusuke to be ready when that time comes, but I if I can't even understand my own nephew, then how can I know that he will be ready to rule a kingdom? I can't thank you enough for accepting this request. As a gift, I want to give you this."

Ryoma saw something move from behind the bush and turned his head. A boy stepped out from behind the bush. His navy blue hair swayed with the wind. Like all other slaves, he was painted, collared, and chained. He wore a vest like top, but it stop short, revealing his smooth belly where a blue ring jewelry was pierced. His pants were a silky material that clung to his groin and thighs. It revealed the perfect cursed on his legs. Ryoma shivered and shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"His name is Taichi Dan. He's still a virgin," said Rohan in a low husky voice.

Another shiver went down Ryoma's spine. He started to reconsider his agreement to help the king. How could he trust a man who was interested in young boys? He glanced at the boy again. His gaze drifted down and he noticed the boy's wrists were bandages. Frowning, Ryoma wondered if the boy was injured.

"I must decline your gift," Ryoma said finally to Rohan, "I...have someone else. In my world, I already have a lover."

"I see..." said Rohan.

For a second, Ryoma thought he heard disdain in Rohan's voice, but it quickly disappeared.

"You're very loyal," Rohan said with a smile, "An honest man. We need more men like you. Alright then. I will be taking my leave then."

Ryoma watched as the king stood and grabbed the chain on Taichi, leading him away. As the Taichi turned, Ryoma took a look in the boy's eyes. It revealed fear and something else; a child that had seen too much, been through too much. He no longer had the eyes of a child. Gulping, Ryoma closed his eyes. The brown eyes of Taichi were going to haunt him forever.

"What did you discuss with my uncle?" asked a voice from beside him.

Ryoma jumped at the sound of Shusuke's voice. He turned and looked up at Shusuke who was watching him closely. He shrugged at the question, "Things."

Shusuke didn't seem to believe it, but to Ryoma's relief, he dropped the subject and turned to leave. Biting his inner cheeks, Ryoma decided it was time to ask. It was now or never. "You have guards right?" he asked.

Shusuke stopped and turned to face him again. He arched a brow at Ryoma and waited for him to continue.

"I want to learn how to use a sword," Ryoma said, "Please have one of your guard to teach me."

"Why?" Shusuke asked warily.

Rolling his eyes, Ryoma said, "I have no motive to kill you, if that's what you're thinking. If I did, I won't be able to get home."

Shusuke blinked at him and then looked away, "A slave does not need to learn the way of a sword." He turned to leave, but stopped a few feet away. "I'm leaving the party. If you wish to return to your cell, I suggest you follow me."

Grunting, Ryoma stood and followed after the prince. He wasn't going to give up on the idea of learning how to use a sword. He would ask again. If not Shusuke, then maybe Tezuka or one of the other guards...that is, if he could befriend them.

* * *

Author's note: Whew, a lot of talking in this one! So...I lied, haha. I said I wasn't going to continue this story until I finished my other one, but since I already started, I might as well continue it anyways. But, do not worry, I will be updating my other fanfic as soon as possible.

Anyways, here is chapter two. Plenty of...pedophiles in this one too. I hope to get the culture down in the next chapter and by culture, I mean their religious beliefs. I have to find a way to incorporate it.

This has to be...one of the hardest fanfic I've written, haha. I only say that because I am going to have to do a lot of research. The religious beliefs I will be adding will be influenced from Ancient Greece as well as Shamanism and many other religions. I also have to look into political aspects such as how does the system of a council work? Who can be in a council? Etc. So, the reason I mention this is because I might take a while to update since I have to research these things.

If you are interested in seeing how the map of how Armonia looks like, I will be posting a link up on my profile to an image of it. Here are the provinces in Erutan and the cities in each province will be listed underneath it.

- Province of Iskyndri

Qasim

Alrim

Ejica

Baja

Kalbany

Pamphi

Bethlium

Djikuah

Tuchink

Jeurel

- Province of Nagyu

Kei

Hourai

Washu

Umei

Racha

- Province of Hangul

Choshi

Shihou

Taigo

Waga

Borai

- Province of Yajyu

Hanbu

Rogi

Jouhi

Pinrei

Reishu

- Province of Asha

Bellian

Avenna

Rhabat

Ahmadi

Dhehi

Shalla

Al-hanbah

- Province of Sadhi

Ruktia

Sahanrah

Ah-medhi

Lykon

Tyra

Trapolli

- Province of Ceshtani

Uhmara

Ukrah

Al-quamil

Qulum

- Province of Kikuruh

Lakti

Bahiam

Syr

Llyda

Mylilla

Al-mushan

Yavynei

Fijurah

- Province of Aquiliah

Yevan

Dharjah

Shugetti

Zummara

Tutakian

Casmahril

Raqari

Raqi


	3. Chapter 3

Author's note: There will be OC characters. Characters may be out of character. This fan fiction is not related to the anime/manga. It will contain boy x boy.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Prince of Tennis.

**Warning**: Rated M for adult content.

* * *

**Chapter Three: The Ominous Warning**

In the days following after the party, Ryoma had remained inside his cell, only leaving to bathe and then returning to his cell. Prince Shusuke had never called him to bed like he promised, which allowed Ryoma to become friendly with the guards at his door. He had learned their names as Momoshiro, a.k.a Momo as he liked others to call him, and Kaidoh, who apparently disliked his first name because it sounded too girly and thus wished to be called Kaidoh. It didn't take long for Ryoma to realize that the two were practically on bad terms. Well, not exactly on bad terms, but they did love to bicker and argue. Often times it annoyed him, especially when he wanted to sleep. He would tell them to shut up, but they would just ignore him. Finally, he chose to ignore them whenever they started quarreling. It became useless trying to stop them.

Sighing, he rolled on the cot to lie on his side. He stared through the iron bars of the door, bored out of his mind. Momo and Kaidoh had changed shifts, leaving him with some boring guards who he had no interest in speaking to. Suddenly, in the distance he heard Momo's loud voice. Blinking, Ryoma sat up and swung his legs over the side of the cot. He stood at the same time when he noticed Momo's face come into view from the small window of the metal door.

"Yo'" greeted Momo.

"Hey," Ryoma returned with a small wave, "Is there something you need?"

"Yeah...Prince Shusuke asked me to take you to his room. So, I guess you're finally going to get laid."

Momo gave him a wide grin, but Ryoma cringed at his words, "Please...he promised he wouldn't do a thing and even if he did, I don't think I would let him, at least not without a fight."

He heard Momo chuckle and then the sound of keys jangling. The metal door creaked open loudly as Momo opened it. Ryoma stepped forward and through the door, stretching his arms before Momo suddenly locked a pair of cuffs around his wrist. Ryoma stared at the golden cuffs before arching a brow at Momo. Really, did he need to be cuffed? It wasn't as though he knew how to kill people.

"Sorry, it's mandatory," Momo said with a sheepish grin, "I like you and all, but it's the rule."

Ryoma shrugged his shoulders, turning to walk down the hallway. He was led through the building, pass that familiar courtyard, and finally came to a stop at a huge, arched chamber door. Momo knocked on the door and waited for a call. When they heard Shusuke's voice calling them to come inside, Momo opened doors and pushed Ryoma inside. Ryoma growled lightly, giving Momo a sideways glare. Momo just wriggled his eyebrows at him before disappearing. Groaning internally, he turned to face Shusuke who was sitting at a desk with some scrolls in front of him. Ryoma waited for Shusuke to say something, but he didn't. He just stared at the scrolls, skimming through them in silence.

"Uh, what did you want?" Ryoma asked hesitantly.

Shusuke looked up from his scrolls slowly and then sighed, "Impatient aren't you?"

"Excuse me? You're the one who called me. If you have something to ask of me, then do it." When Fuji didn't say anything and instead returned to his scrolls, Ryoma decided to pester him some more, "I'm surprise you don't have guards surrounding me right now. After all, it seems everyone treats me like I'm some assassin that has come to kill their precious prince."

Ryoma received a hateful glare from Shusuke and smirked. He was going to love coaxing the young prince into arguing with him. He began to see why Momo and Kaidoh loved to argue a lot. It was...entertaining.

"Don't be stupid. There are plenty of guards near my chamber. If you do anything and then try to escape, I doubt you would make it far. You would be killed on the spot," Shusuke said with a wave on his hand.

"Hnn...is that so? I guess that means for a prince like you, living in luxury is the only thing you can do."

Shusuke's eyes twitched slightly as he rested his head on his fingertips. He gave a wry smile, "You don't know anything."

"You're right. I don't," Ryoma agreed, "So why don't you explain some things to me then, huh?"

Sighing, Shusuke stood and walked over to him, stopping a few feet away from him. "That's exactly what I was going to do anyways. Priest Oishi told me that I should...educate you about our world so that you may accommodate well. Of course I refused, but then he argued that if I happened to be stranded in unfamiliar land, such as...like yours...then I would have liked for someone to teach me as well. And thus, I have called you here."

"Some prince you are. You have to be told by the priest for common sense."

Shusuke growled at him with a glare, "I suggest you shut your mouth before I have you flogged."

"You do such a thing to an innocent man? Geez, what kind of ruler would you be if you did that to every person that spoke out against you? Tyra-"

Before Ryoma could finish his word, a loud smack echoed through the room followed by a stinging pain on his left cheek. Blinking, he processed what just happened. Gritting his teeth together, Ryoma turned his head and lunged himself at Shusuke. They both toppled to the floor with Ryoma trying to wrestle with Shusuke, but with cuffed hands, he couldn't do much. He was flipped over and Shusuke straddled him as they both continued to struggle. They rolled again, this time knocking into the table. The wine glass fell to the floor, spilling the contents inside. Ryoma panted heavily, straddling Shusuke, as he tried to fight off Shusuke's grasping hands. Suddenly, he lost balanced and once again, he was flipped to the ground. Looking up, he saw a fist flying toward him. Ryoma moved his head, but Shusuke landed a blow to his face anyway. Ryoma grunted in pain.

"Fuck!" he cursed as he raised his cuffed arms and wrapped them over Shusuke's neck.

"Wha-let go!" Shusuke yelled as Ryoma pulled him down into a tight hold.

Ryoma rolled over again, his body lying flat against Shusuke. As Shusuke tried to wriggle out of his hold, the bottom of his clothes bunched up to his thighs and he ended up spreading his legs, making Ryoma rest between them. Just as Ryoma tried to get up, the door swung open and a guard stepped inside. Ryoma and Shusuke froze, realizing that the position they were in might make others misunderstand what was happening.

"Uh, s-sorry to interrupt!" the guard yell as he turned to leave.

"Stop, you imbecile!" yelled Shusuke, "Get this slave off of me!"

"Wha-I mean, yes Prince Shusuke."

The guard hustled over to Ryoma and lifted him easily off of Shusuke even though he was struggling. Ryoma kicked and tried to pry himself away fro the guard, but the guard had a good grip on him. Huffing, Ryoma glared at Shusuke who was slowly getting up. He watched as the prince dusted himself and smoothed out the wrinkles on his clothes, which happened to be very similar to a white thawb, but with plenty of laces on the sleeves from his elbow down and in the front from the top of the chest upward to his neck along with a royal blue sash tied at the waist. If he remember correctly as well, there was definitely nothing under the garment; Ryoma remembered catching sight of Shusuke's smooth skin. He coughed and wiped the image from his mind.

"Prince Shusuke...what should I do with him?" asked the guard.

Shusuke ran his fingers through his hair and then said, "Take him to the beam and tie him. He will be whipped."

The guard nodded and dragged him off. Ryoma struggled, but the guard had a tight grip on him. Scowling, he felt his whole body push against a large wooden beam. He winced, feeling his stomach and face scrape again the pole. He growled and tried to push himself back at the guard, but he was immediately pushed forward. There was a thunk and then pain was spreading from the forehead, through his face. He huffed and settled as the guard tied his arms to the pole. He glanced up and saw Shusuke walked over to him with a whip in hand.

"Bastard," Ryoma muttered.

"You're one to talk," Shusuke replied, "Now it's time for your punishm-"

"Prince Shusuke! What are you doing?!" asked a worried voice from the right side of the hall.

Ryoma turned his gaze to the man approaching and recognized him as Oishi, the Priest. He felt a sudden weight lift from his chest at the sight of the priest. If there was one thing he was sure of, it was that Oishi, out of everybody else, seemed the most logical. Ryoma hoped that he could talk some sense into the prince.

"I asked you to educate him in our culture, not whip him," Oishi scolded.

"But..he...he attacked me," Shusuke said with wide eyes.

"You must have done something to provoke him then," Oishi said with a slight frown, "Prince Shusuke, you should know better than to do such a thing. If the king ever catches wind of what you did, he will use it against you."

Ryoma glanced back to the prince with raised brows. Now he didn't understand what was going on. He thought the prince liked the king; after all they were uncle and nephew and he did defend his uncle once. To hear that they might be on bad terms puzzled him. He wasn't sure who to trust anymore. Sighing, he kept his eyes on the prince until Shusuke finally relented. Ryoma sighed in relief as Shusuke handed the whip over to the guard. Oishi walked over to him and untied his hands. Rubbing his wrists, he noticed that there were rope burns already forming. Scowling, he glared at the prince from under his eyelashes. If weren't for the fact that Oishi was there, Ryoma would have lunged at him again. Sighing, he closed his eyes and calmed his rising anger. He didn't want to cause anymore trouble. After all, if Shusuke was prepared to whip him, then what if he was prepared to behead him? Ryoma gritted his teeth together and straightened his back as he turned to face Oishi.

"Are you okay?" asked Oishi.

"Yes," Ryoma replied, "I thank you..."

"No need...though I do suggest that you don't get on Prince Shusuke's bad side from now on."

Ryoma merely nodded at him. He wasn't going to promise it, but he would at least try. As he continued to rub his wrist, he followed after Oishi who had decided that he would accompany them and teach Ryoma about their world. Walking through the palace, Ryoma was able to soak in the details of its designs. The place seemed largely influenced by Greek architecture as well as bit of the Middle East. As they walked through the palace, they came upon a large wooden gate and stopped. Ryoma blinked and stared at the large gate blocking their path. From the corner of his eyes, he saw Oishi move his hand in the air, motioning some kind of signal to the top. Ryoma glanced up and saw a few people standing above the door. A loud creaking noise jolted him from his observation. Bringing his gaze back to the front, he saw the gate slowly rise. They were exiting the palace ground and Ryoma couldn't help but feel a bit of curiosity rushing through him.

Stepping out of the palace grounds surprised him even more. Beyond the gates were houses and people, paths that bustled with people, markets that were crowded and noisy. Ryoma took in every aspect of the way how the Erutanians lived. It was amazing to him. Their life seemed simple, very much like the people in the past of his own world. The walked through the city without any trouble which amazed Ryoma since Shusuke was a prince. He thought that the people should have at least known who their prince was. "How come people aren't...I don't know...bowing? To Shu-I mean, Prince Shusuke?" he asked curiously.

"Oh...that," Oishi said with a hint of amusement, "I've cast a spell on him where no one would be able to recognize him."

Ryoma stared at him and then sighed. Again with the spells that he didn't understand. Deciding to leave it at that, Ryoma returned to looking at the town. They had exited the market place when Ryoma noticed a path leading to a darker alley. He stopped in his tracks, staring down the path. Squinting his eyes, he noticed a figure covered in a dirty cloth leaning against the wall. As his vision adjusted, he noticed more figures, thin and dirty and some of which were small like children. Some of them even looked sick. "What...what about that place?" Ryoma asked, catching the attention of Oishi and Shusuke. As he turned his head to look at them, he noticed Shusuke's expression darken and Oishi staring at him blankly. Ryoma wanted to ask more about it, but decided that it was best to keep his mouth shut. However, as he turned to walk over to them, Oishi spoke up.

"That area is for the refugees escaping from the Kingdom of Ghazi," Oishi said, almost too quiet for Ryoma to hear.

"Seems kind of...unfit for refugees," Ryoma said slowly, unsure of how to phrase his sentence.

"That's because the king does not wish to waste expenses on them," Shusuke said with a bit of strain in his voice.

Glancing back to the area, Ryoma frowned slightly. It didn't seem right to have refugees living in such a state. They were humans as well and they deserved to at least live in a better state. "Well, when you become king, you should fix that," Ryoma said. He didn't know if Shusuke would help them, but the least he could do was suggest it. When there was no answer to his statement, Ryoma pried his gaze away from the refugees and looked over to the prince and Oishi. Oishi stared at him with curiosity while Shususke frowned in puzzlement at him. Shifting on his feet, he suddenly felt awkward. "What?" Ryoma asked.

"You would want Prince Shusuke to be the king?" Oishi asked.

Ryoma shrugged, "He is the rightful heir isn't he?"

"He is...Prince Shusuke's father was king, but died in battle. Since Prince Shusuke is not considered an adult yet, the king's brother took the throne," Oishi replied, "Of course, Prince Shusuke will become an adult in five months..."

"Well there you go. Five months is not that long."

"Let's continue on our way," Shusuke said as he turned and started walking again.

Oisihi followed after him, leaving Ryoma behind with questions running through his mind. He didn't understand why it seemed as though the other two didn't think it was possible for Shusuke to take the throne. The king didn't seem like such a bad person, even if his sexual preference ran a little on the pedophilia side. He did seem to genuinely care for Shusuke. Shaking his head, he started following after them again before he lost sight of them. Despite the fact that it did seem as though the king cared for his nephew, Ryoma did feel as though there was something amiss. Oishi and Shusuke wasn't telling him something and that something seemed to be crucial if he wanted to find out what was going on. Sighing again, he brushed the thoughts away. He did not have to worry about such things since he was not from this world. Whatever political trouble that was brewing, he didn't need to get involve. He didn't want to get involved either. All he had to worry about was trying to adjust to this new life and to find a way home.

After he caught up to them, he found himself walking through a high archway. Tilting his head back, he stared up at the intricately designed arch. There were five male bodies carved onto the stone, but only one of them rose above the rest. Glancing away, he hastened his pace to stand beside Oishi. They came upon a long stairway that led to a temple. Staring up, Ryoma dreaded the walk up. Grumbling mentally, he climbed up the flight of stairs. He was sure that fifteen minutes had already passed by the time he reached the top. Since he was a tennis player it wasn't as tiring, but it was sill hard work climbing the stairs. Looking around, he noticed that there were more than one temple, but they were farther back and smaller than the one that stood before him. Each one had a different statue placed in front of archway. Taking a quick look at the sculptures, Ryoma noted that they were the same faces of the carved bodies on top of the archway he had entered through.

"Hurry up," Shusuke said, but his voice sounded far away.

Blinking, Ryoma peeked over the side of statue and saw Oishi and Shusuke ahead of him. Walking around the statue, he continued to follow them. As soon as they entered the temple, Ryoma was lost for words. In the center of the temple, built against the far back of the wall, was a large statue of a man that reached the ceilings of the temple. He held a staff in his hands as though preparing for war. A hole in the ceiling allowed light to cast its bright rays onto the stone figure's face. There was a sense of peace and beauty in the sight before him. Ryoma slowly brought his gaze down and finally noticed people walking through the temple in silence. Tilting his head slightly to the side, he looked around once more and started to notice that each of the people there had the same tattoos designed on the their arms. "What are the tattoos for?" Ryoma asked.

Oishi gave him a brief glance before he started walking again, "Those tattoos indicate that they are wedded to the god. The priests and priestesses here are wedded to Armonia, the god who created this world."

"Priests too?" Ryoma asked curiously.

"Yes."

"Hnn...in my world, we have nuns, brides of Christ."

"Brides of Christ?" asked Shusuke curiously.

"Yes. In the Catholic religion of my world, nuns are women who are married to Christ. They devote their whole life to him and only him. At times, the nuns will give prayers to those who ask them to help pray for them," he said with a nonchalant shrug, "I'm not a Catholic though."

"Are men allowed to be married to this...Christ as well?" asked Oishi.

Ryoma shook his head. Oishi made a thoughtful sound before he stopped and pointed to a tapestry on the wall for Ryoma to look. Glancing up, he stared at the drawings on the tapestry. It seemed to be telling a story, but he didn't understand it. "What is it telling?" he asked.

Oishi smiled at him and then began telling the story of the tapestry, "This is the story of Armonia's creation. Before our world was created, there was only darkness. In that darkness there was a speck of light. That light began to grow and from the light, Armonia, the God of all the other Gods and Goddesses, was born. However, he was alone in the empty darkness. Thus, Armonia decided to create more Gods. From the golden strand of his hair, he created Ventus, the God of Wind. From the supple flesh of his body, he created Terra, the God of Land. From the flow of his tears, he created Proluvies, the God of Water. From the droplets of his scarlet blood, he created Ignis, the God of Fire. They became his brothers. Each brother had wanted to create a child of their own as well. From the soil, Terra created the Ceres, the Goddess of Harvest. From the warmth of the wind, Ventus created Sapientia, the Goddess of Wisdom. From the fire and heat of the volcanoes, Ignis created Bellum, the God of War. From the depths of the ocean water, Proluvies created Vivacitas, the Goddess of Longevity. After the children were born, Armonia, along with his brothers created our world which was named after him. The land from Terra, the wind from Ventus, the water from Proluvies, and the fire from Ignis. And then, from the flesh and blood of Armonia himself, we were created. The first humans on Armonia were given a message from him: 'I am Armonia, the God of Creation. To my beloved creations, Men, give me your loyalty. Do what is righteous in my eyes, defend the weak, do not harm those who cannot protect themselves, and preach my name. Do so willing and I shall defend and uplift you. Your children and your children's children shall continue to live fruitful and strong.' And thus, humans lived, worshiping Armonia and his brothers. However, peace would not last. Armonia fell ill. During that time, there was an era of darkness. In that darkness, something was born from Armonia. Since Armonia was born from the darkness, a piece of the darkness lived in him. That darkness gave birth to Caos, the God of Chaos. From the shadows of all darkness, Caos created Mors, the God of Death. With Mors on his side, Caos waged war against Armonia. In the end, Armonia won and Caos was locked away. But even though the war between the Gods was over, war broke out among the humans because of Caos's influence. Angered by their actions, Armonia gave Caos the power to rule the underworld and thus the afterlife was created. Mors, the God of Death became responsible in taking the souls of those who died."

Ryoma gazed at the tapestry with interest. The story of their creation and their multiple gods and goddess reminded him a lot of the Greeks, Romans, or the Mesopotamians. There was one thing that kept bothering him though, so he asked, "Each temple...are they built for each God and Goddess?"

"Yes," Oishi replied.

"So...Caos and Mors has one too?"

"Yes," Oishi chuckled, "But the temple for Caos is only used for sending items of this world into the afterlife and Mors's temple is to pray for loved ones to pass on in peace and for their soul to not linger in this world."

Ryoma made another thoughtful sound to himself as they continued on. As they walked, Oishi spoke about himself. Ryoma had learned that only certain people could use magic. Only those who were blessed by the Gods or Goddesses were able to use them. Oishi was blessed by Sapientia, the Goddess of Wisdom, and so he was able to convey their language into Ryoma. A little while later, Ryoma was told to wait with Shusuke as Oishi went to deliver a message. Leaning against the rail, Ryoma overlooked the city of Jeurel. From a bird's eye view, the city captivated him. There was a brief moment where he thought he wouldn't mind living amongst these Erutanians. Shaking the thought away, he reminded himself that he needed to return home. Haru and his family was waiting for him and who would take care of Karupin if he was not there? There was also tennis he had to think about. Tennis was his life and he wasn't ready to part with the sport just yet. Maybe he wouldn't ever.

"It's a nice view of the city isn't it?" asked Shusuke who joined him by the rails.

Ryoma grunted in agreement, not sparing him a glance. Even without looking, he could feel the heat rolling off of Shusuke's body. Ryoma gulped slowly, reveling in the warmth as a breeze blew by. The sound of clothes rustling turned his attention to Shusuke. He turned in time to see Shusuke brushing locks of hair behind his ear. Shusuke had his head turn the other direction and thus could not see Ryoma staring at him. Biting the inside of his cheeks, he held back the urge to run his fingers through Shusuke's hair. Earlier when they had been struggling against each other, his hands had brushed against it. He remembered the way it felt against his fingers, smooth and silky. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath. Forcing himself to look away, he calmed the jolting waves of need in his body. He berated himself for wanting another man. Ryoma had to muster all his strength to remember Haru's face in his mind. He needed to get home fast and back into Haru's arms. Shusuke's presence and face wasn't doing him any good and he knew it. There was no way he was going to fall into temptation, especially from another man.

"You said that you wanted to learn how to use a sword," Shusuke's soft voice broke into his thoughts.

Startled, Ryoma turned and looked at him, finding himself staring into those blue pairs that had entranced him the first time. He gulped and nodded his head. "Yeah."

"If I said that I would allow you to learn...would you promise me that you won't try to kill me?"

Ryoma stared him disbelievingly, "What...made you change your mind?"

"Are you going to promise?" Shusuke asked.

Sighing, Ryoma replied, "I know better than to try something that stupid. If I killed you, that means I would be killed. I'm not looking to die. I just want to return home and if it means that I have to find a way to live here, besides from being your slave, then I will do whatever I can."

Ryoma kept a wary eye on him as Shusuke slowly turned to face and reached out with a hand. He took a step back, but Shusuke touched his arm and stopped him to moving farther away It burned against his skin, but not in a bad way. It felt nice having Shusuke's hands run up and down his arm. "What are you-" Before Ryoma could finish his question, Shusuke interrupted him.

"You have good arms," Shusuke said, "I couldn't help but notice it when we were...fighting. You have strong arms and your legs are good as well."

"I play tennis, so I have to train my body often," Ryoma blurted without thinking and frowned at his own words.

"Tennis?"

"It's a sport I play back in my own world. There are two people who play against each other using a racquet and a ball. A pair of people can play against each other too."

"...you must show this sport to me. It sounds interesting."

"If you can make the items required for it."

"I'll have one of the blacksmith work something out."

"Maybe not a blacksmith...more like a woodcarver or a toy maker."

His lips twitched slightly seeing Shusuke's confused expression. Biting back the amused chuckle, Ryoma shook his head. He tried to find a better way to explain it, but couldn't find the words. "The racquets are made of woods, well, at least the old version. I don't even know if your world has the technology to make it," Ryoma said thoughtfully.

Shusuke shrugged at him, "Worth a try."

Smiling slowly, he nodded. A comfortable and serene silence fell between them, but the echos of the people below from the city rang through the air. Glancing back to the city, Ryoma leaned against the rail. From the corner of his eyes, he noticed Shusuke doing the same. His lips quirked slightly to the side in a small smile. There was a curiousness about why Shusuke was suddenly being nice to him since earlier he seemed intent on flogging him, but Ryoma found that it was pleasant to have a conversation with the prince without arguing with him. However, the peace was broken with a feminine voice called out to Shusuke from behind him. Blinking, he turned around at the same time as Shusuke. His gaze fell on a petite woman with long brown hair that fell to her waist. Her eyes were a pale blue, staring at him as though she could see right into his soul. Ryoma shivered at her gaze and shifted awkwardly.

"Lady Agatha, what brings you here?" Shusuke asked.

Ryoma glanced at Shusuke, watching him as he strolled over to the young woman and took her by the hand, leading her away. Agatha didn't seem to acknowledge him. She continued to stare at Ryoma with a mysterious smile. Raising a brow, Ryoma turned his questioning gaze to Shusuke. He never received an answer as the prince continued to lead Agatha farther into the distance. Groaning under his breath, he remained where he was standing, leaning back against the rail as he watched the two speak to each in low voices. Looking away, he heard bits and pieces of their conversation, but wasn't able to piece them together. His gaze wandered back to the city. As the sun set in the horizon, the heat burned into the back in his skin. A bead of sweat dripped from his forehead and down to his chin. A warm breeze cooled him off as he swiped at the sweat. Evening came fast and soon night was approaching. Flickers of light burned from the city below, creating a reflection of the stars that were beginning to appear in the dark sky above. Tilting his head up, he stared at the night sky. It was a beautiful sight, one that he would never have been able to see in a city like Tokyo.

"Are you Ryoma?" Agatha asked, startlingly Ryoma from his thoughts.

Ryoma turned attention to her and nodded his head, "Yeah."

"So you are the one that Oishi speaks of then..."

He stared at her, unsure of what she was trying to get out of him. He saw Shusuke move pass her and stand next to him. He tried to get Shusuke to help him, but the prince ignored him. Sighing, he waited to see if Agatha would say more. When she didn't, Ryoma looked at Shusuke and raised a brow at him. Shusuke looked back at him and shrugged. Sighing frustratingly, he ran his hands through his hair and asked, "Is there something that you wanted from me?" A painful nudge on his rib had him glaring at Shusuke.

"Don't speak to her like that," Shusuke hissed.

"Well how am I suppose to speak to her?" Ryoma asked.

"She's the daughter of Councilman Giovanni. Show a little more respect."

Ryoma rolled his eyes, "Yes, my prince."

Agatha chuckled, bringing Ryoma and Shusuke back to surroundings. "You two seem to...get along."

"Not really," they both replied. Frowning, Ryoma glared at Shusuke who glared back at him.

Agatha chuckled again and shook her head. She walked forward, causing Ryoma to turn and face her. When he noticed that she wasn't looking straight at him, he realized that Agatha was blind. Ryoma quickly reached his hand out and helped guide her to the railings. She smiled a thanks at him, but didn't let go of his hand. Suddenly, Ryoma felt a pair of cold, frail hands on his cheeks. Blinking, he stared down at Agatha as she felt his face. He silently let her trace his face.

"You...have a shadow lingering over you," she muttered, almost to low for Ryoma to hear.

"What?" Ryoma asked, surprised by her words.

"You were brought here for a reason and that reason holds a darker truth behind it. Be careful child, for that truth may be the death of you. Even more so...it will be the death of our kingdom."

* * *

**Author's note**: And that's it for chapter 3. Chapter 4 will...probably be written after I update my other fanfic. If there are typos, I'm sorry. DX I will go back and correct them...if I see them. I tend to miss them because I know what I want to write and sometimes my brain tends to skip over it, haha.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's note**: There will be OC characters. Characters may be out of character. This fan fiction is not related to the anime/manga. It will contain boy x boy.

So, I had a few questions about who was seme and who was uke. I mentioned in the first chapter of the fanfic on my author's note that Fuji is going to be an uke and Ryoma is going to be a seme. For further information, Ryoma is not a teen in this fanfic. I have made him to be in his early twenties, so around twenty-one or twenty-two (maybe I should have mentioned that in the story, haha). Anyways, Fuji is an uke, **but so will Ryoma**. So, yes, they will be reversible. I didn't want to write this story with the idea that in a male/male relationship, one always has to be the bottom of the relationship. They are both men, which means they are equal (not that I believe a woman and a man isn't, they are equal too since we are all human). I also didn't think Ryoma would want to be an uke considering his personality, however, we also know that Fuji isn't the type to bottom either. So, how that will work out, you will have to read for yourself and find out. XD

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Prince of Tennis.

**Warning**: Rated M for adult content.

* * *

**Chapter Four: Province of Nagyu**

Ever since the night of Lady Agatha's ominous warning, Ryoma had found himself free of Shusuke's presence. Other than receiving word that he was allowed to learn how to use the sword, there was nothing else from the other man. In the sweaty days he spent training and the quiet nights he spent alone in the cell, he was beginning to feel anxious. Ryoma wondered constantly why Shusuke had not spoken to him. Part of him worried the prince had decided not to trust him because of Lady Agatha's words and the other part of him wanted to believe that it was just because Shusuke was too busy to bother with him. However, pondering about it didn't solve anything unless the man himself came to him and told him why he hadn't appeared. Just as he was about to curse Shusuke mentally, a shadow loomed over him. It was a brief second before the shadow moved and suddenly a wooden sword was being swung down at his face. Eyes widening, Ryoma reacted quickly, bringing his wooden sword up and parrying the sword. Panting heavily, he stared at the crossed swords in front of him. The sound of wood crackling against each other was still ringing in his ear.

"You're distracted," Tezuka said.

Ryoma cluck his tongue and pulled his sword back. He straightened his posture and glanced away. He couldn't lie because it was true. He hadn't seen Shusuke in two months and he was beginning to worry. He scolded himself for being obsess about Shusuke's whereabouts. It was not like he loved the prince, but a part of him did want the prince's approval. For whatever reason why, he didn't know. Sighing, he shook his head and apologized to Tezuka for being distracted. "Sorry…I've been…thinking," he muttered.

"About Prince Shusuke?" Tezuka asked.

His eyes twitched slightly at the prince's name and his stiffened slightly. Was he that obvious? Ryoma sighed again and nodded his head silently. He glanced back to Tezuka who was walking away and followed after him. He hated to admit it, but he wanted to know what was going on with the prince. "So…where is he?" he asked.

"Who knows," Tezuka replied as he set the wooden sword down and sat on the stone bench under the shade of the roof.

Ryoma wanted to shake the man and demand him to tell where the prince was or at least, what the prince was thinking, but he restrained himself. Tezuka was a great swordsman and he was also the captain of the prince's army, so if Ryoma did such a thing he would no doubt be cut down. Besides, he also respected the man. Sighing, he plopped himself besides the older man. Leaning forward, he propped his elbows on his knees. He stared at the empty training area, knowing that soon it would be filled with soldiers. When he had gotten word that he could learn sword fighting, Tezuka had offered to teach him and thus, began their training. Ryoma knew that if he wanted to get better he needed to put more time into his training and so, Tezuka and he began training earlier than the soldiers' usual time. It slightly paid off.

"You're getting better," Tezuka stated as he crossed his arms across his chest, causing the tan tunic to rustle under his arms.

Ryoma quickly glance to him and shrugged. He was getting better, but it wasn't good enough. He couldn't even beat the soldier rookies. Just like in his tennis days, he strove to become the best. His father was his goal. To beat that old man was his dream, but even at the age of twenty-two, he still couldn't beat him. So, now that he was being trained with the sword he decided, without Tezuka's knowledge, that he would become as good as that man, maybe even better. It may seem like an impossible goal to others, but to him it was possible. All he needed to do was push himself harder. "I want to get better faster," he said.

"Patience," Tezuka said.

Ryoma bit back a sigh. Sometimes the older man could get on his nerves. As he opened his mouth to speak, he was interrupted by the sound of shuffling footsteps. Turning his head, he glanced across the training area and saw the soldiers entering in groups. Amongst them, he saw Momo and Kaidoh, bickering as usual. Tezuka stood, motioning for him to do the same. Grunting, Ryoma stood, picked up his wooden sword and followed after Tezuka.

Their training resumed well into the evening and by the time it was over, Ryoma was beat. Slipping out of the top half of his tunic, he let it crumple around his waist where it was held by a small rope belt. His chest was glistening with sweat and his arms were covered is scratches and bruises. The palms of his hands were red and blistered from gripping the wooden sword. Everything was sore, but it was a good kind of sore. Smiling contently to himself, he plopped onto the dirt floor, not even caring that he would get dirtier. He leaned his head back against the stone wall, letting the breeze cool him down and relax even with the sound of laughter and chatter from the soldiers.

"Tiring, isn't it?" asked a familiar voice.

Eyes fluttering open, Ryoma glanced up. Shusuke stood beside him, leaning against the wall and staring at the soldiers. Ryoma opened his mouth and then closed it. Realizing that he was probably gaping, he quickly looked away. He could hear Shusuke shift beside him which brought his gaze back to the prince. His eyes followed him as Shusuke pushed himself off the wall and was greeted warmly by the soldiers. He was still staring when the prince turned around and arched a brow at him.

"Why are you still sitting? Get up and follow me," Shusuke commanded.

Surprised, Ryoma blinked a few times. He closed his eyes and exhaled slowly. He was beginning to miss his freedom and felt stupid for worrying about Shusuke's disappearance on him. Standing up, he dusted himself and followed after the prince. He was led over to Tezuka who in turn bowed and greeted Shusuke. They started a conversation, ignoring Ryoma. Growling under his breath, he glared at Shusuke's back. There was no point in making him come along when he was just going to be ignored. He clucked his tongue and shifted most of his weight to his left leg. He let his gaze sweep over the soldiers before falling on Momo. The soldier seemed to have noticed him and began waving enthusiastically at him. Ryoma inwardly groaned. He was sure that Momo was going to drag him into training some more, which he did not feel like doing. He was exhausted and ready to fall asleep. However, before Momo could reach him, Eiji tackled him. Eyebrow raised, Ryoma watched with amusement as Eiji clung to Momo, blabbering his nonsense as usual. His lips quirked at the sight, but as soon as Eiji's gaze locked on him, it quickly disappeared. Ryoma eyes widened as he tried to get away, but in an instant Eiji appeared at his side, latching his arms around his neck and squeezing him.

"Hey, hey! Let's spar! I heard you got better! I wanna see how good you got!" Eiji said happily, "And then afterward we can all drink!"

"You would defeat me," Ryoma replied blandly, trying to pry away from Eiji's grasp.

"That would be interesting," interrupted Shusuke.

Eiji, who was still holding onto him, gasped and quickly released him. Ryoma was glad he was free from Eiji's hold, but now he was staring at Shusuke in disbelief. The prince must have known that he was still a beginner. To go against someone as skilled as Eiji just meant he was bound to lose from the beginning. That would not be interesting at all. Shaking his head, Ryoma crossed his arms across his chest. Besides, he had also seen how Eiji fought. The red head man was quick on his feet, always jumping away and twisting in the air as if he was some acrobat. It got annoying. "You just want me to suffer, don't you?" Ryoma asked, "After all, Eiji is a much better swordsman than I am. I would lose without a doubt."

"But it is always best to spar against those who are better than you. It means you will get better," Shusuke said, "Moreover, don't you spar with Tezuka? Tezuka is far better than Eiji."

"Hey!" Eiji exclaimed, "You don't have to be so honest!"

Shusuke chuckled, "But he is the captain. Anyways, why not give it a try? I also want to see your skills."

"Tezu-Captain Tezuka goes easy on me," Ryoma said.

"I'll go easy on you too then," Eiji said with a grin.

"No, don't go easy on him. In a real battle, you're opponents do not go easy on you," Shusuke said, "Now, get your swords and begin the sparring."

Grumbling under his breath, Ryoma turned on his heels. He grabbed his wooden sword and walked into the middle of the training area. The soldiers had moved closer to the walls to watch the sparring match. He sighed and waited as Eiji grabbed his sword and walked to the opposite side of him. Ryoma got into his ready stance, watching Eiji for any movement. He had to keep a close on the man since Eiji was quick on his feet. Ryoma took a step to the side and in an instant, Eiji had lunged forward. Taken by surprise, Ryoma took a step back and parried the other man's swing. The jolt made him stumble, but he caught his footing. As Eiji swung again, Ryoma ducked and lunged with his wooden blade. His sword sliced through air as Eiji somersaulted backward to avoid it. Growling in frustration, Ryoma lunged again. The spar between them went on with Eiji jumping away with every slash he made. After a fifteen minute of nonstop swinging, Ryoma stopped himself and observed the other man. He knew if he continued, he would be wasting his strength. He went on the defense, parrying Eiji's hits while he studied the redhead's movements, taking mental notes of anything he saw that would be considered a weakness. He tried to swing his sword at Eiji while he was in the air, but the man deflected his hits. As he was landing, Ryoma's gaze dropped to Eiji's legs. An idea flickered through his mind and immediately it dawned on him what he had to do. Running forward, he swung his sword at Eiji. As the redhead jumped again, Ryoma calculated where he was going to land. Just before Eiji's feet hit the ground, he swung his sword to distract Eiji. While Eiji blocked it and landed, Ryoma ducked and swept his feet, knocking Eiji off balance. The other man let a yelp as he fell on his bottom. Knocking Eiji's sword out of his hand, Ryoma tapped his own sword against Eiji's neck. Panting heavily, he stared down at the redhead in shock. He didn't think he would win, but it was his victory.

There was a long silence before a loud applause and cheering erupted. Ryoma stepped back, holding his hand out for Eiji to take. The redhead took his hand with a grin and Ryoma helped him up. Ryoma looked around the faces of the soldiers, feeling slightly embarrassed. He was surprised that he even won. Finally, his gaze fell on Shusuke who was smiling at him. There was a swell in his chest, but he didn't know what it was. Maybe he was just glad that the prince had approved of his skills.

"You're pretty good," Eiji said, clasping his hand on Ryoma's shoulder.

"You jump too much," Ryoma muttered, "It can be easily taken advantage of."

"Usually I can defeat them before they find out the weakness…you're the first of the rookies to be able to block most of my hits. Your training with Tezuka must be going well."

"It's not just his training. Somehow, he has a natural ability with swords. He's also a fast learner," Tezuka said as he walked towards them.

Tezuka's words meant a lot to him, but he was embarrassed to hear such words. With no cap to hide his flushing face, he tipped his head down and muttered a thank you. Afterward, the training area cleared out, leaving him and Shusuke behind. Ryoma glanced at the prince briefly and then began to walk towards the building where the baths were located. He took one step, but was stopped by Shusuke's voice.

"Wait," the prince called out.

Turning on his heels, Ryoma faced him and raised a brow. The prince waved him over and reluctantly, he followed the order. Ryoma stopped in front of him, bare-chested, sticky with sweat, and he was sure he stank as well. Shusuke raised an arm and handed him something. Frowning, he glanced down and stared at the wooden sword. He opened his mouth to ask the prince why he was giving him such a thing, but was immediately cut off.

"Spar with me," Shusuke said with a tone that clearly meant he couldn't argue with him.

Ryoma stared at him incredulously. He had just finished training and then he was force to spar with Eiji and now, Shusuke wanted to spar with him. Ryoma growled, lowering his head slightly. He was tired and all he wanted was to sleep his exhaustion awaye, even if it was an uncomfortable cot. "Are you trying to kill me?" he asked.

"Of course not…you realize in a battlefield, it will be much more tiring than this. You will be fighting multiple men and the battle can last for hours."

"I'm not even going to-"

"Take the sword Ryoma and get ready."

Sighing in defeat, Ryoma took the sword from Shusuke and moved into his stance, the sword held in front, ready to be swung. Ryoma took a look at Shusuke from head to toe and couldn't help, but wonder if the man was skilled. He had fought against him once and noticed that the other man was thinner in frame. In a way, the prince did look feminine. Silently clicking his tongue, he rolled his eyes and leapt, swinging his sword sideways. Shusuke easily dodged him by taking a side step, swinging his sword down and stopping it centimeters away from the nape of his neck.

"You would be dead already," Shusuke said, "Again."

And so, Ryoma tried again. With both hands on the hilt of the sword and his feet set apart, slightly bent at the knees, he took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. He closed his eyes, letting his heartbeat calm. Opening them, he focused on Shusuke. He ran toward the prince who jabbed his sword at him. Ryoma maneuvered around it, dodging it cleanly and readying his sword. He lifted his arms and swung diagonally down at the prince, but it was evaded easily. Eyes glinting, Ryoma spun around, blocking Shusuke's sword that came flying at him from the side. The sound echoed in the empty area. For a second, Ryoma was taken aback by the strength of Shusuke's hit, but immediately regained composure when he felt Shusuke push against the waster. Ryoma did the same and they came into a stand still until both of them jumped away. Quickly, both of them attacked with full force again just as swiftly as they had leapt away. Their swords connected loudly before dislodging and connecting once again. Shusuke was the first to move, pulling his waster back and stepping to the side swiftly. Ryoma followed suit, but swung his sword sideways, aiming for Shusuke's side. His sword was instantly blocked with a hit that came from above. Just as the waster came up at him from below, he moved the upper half of his body back while taking a backward step, avoiding the tip of the sword by a few inches. Ryoma quickly recovered his footing and swung his sword downward at Shusuke in an angle, but was quickly parried. He pushed down on the sword, hoping to get Shusuke unbalance. However, he was surprised to find Shusuke push him back with a stronger force. Feet stumbling, Ryoma dodged a slash. He aimed his sword down to push the waster down on the floor, but as he swung down, Shusuke followed his movement. The impact of the swords was weak. In the motion of swinging his wooden sword up toward Shusuke, Ryoma notice the prince swiftly follow his movement. A hard smack to his wrist from the waster sent jolts of pain through his arm. Wincing, Ryoma released his sword. He watched as his wooden blade fell to the floor. He tried to reach for it, but came face to face with Shusuke's wooden sword. The wooden blade swung toward him and he flinched, closing his eyes and waiting for the painful hit of the waster, but it never came. Ryoma opened his eyes slowly and glanced to the side of his face where the sword remained next to his cheeks. He was panting heavily, both from exhaustion and exhilaration.

"Good," Shusuke said with a small smile.

Ryoma turned his gaze to the prince and nodded his head. Shusuke pulled back the sword and turned to put the sword away. After a few minute of rest, Shusuke told him to follow him. Without making a fuss, Ryoma did as he was told. They walked towards the bath house, but to his surprise, they didn't enter the bath house where the soldiers usually bathed. Confused, Ryoma eyed Shusuke warily. Biting back his question, he continued to trail after the prince until they came to another one. They entered and Ryoma was bombarded with hot steam. He surveyed the place, amazed by its large size and beauty. The walls were a creamy white color with golden designs of odd symbols. In the middle of the huge, square bath was a circular platform with a golden statue of a woman clothed in loose drapes. She was holding a jar where water flowed out. The place took his breath away. It was even more beautiful than the bath house where he was first taken to become a bed slave for Shusuke.

The sound of clothes rustling caught his attention. Ryoma ripped his gaze away and landed on Shusuke who was stripping himself. He gritted his teeth together, cursing the prince. He had thought the prince was not into using him as a sex slave, but it seemed the prince had lied to him. He sucked in a breath and watched in silence as Shusuke stripped off his last piece of clothing. Despite his effort to avoid looking down, Ryoma let gaze drop down. He felt his throat go dry as he stared at Shusuke's round ass. A shaky sigh escaped his lips as his eyes traveled up the prince's spine, taking in the view of his creamy skin color. His gaze stopped on the prince's thin nape and he stared for a long time until Shusuke turned and blue eyes locked on him.

"Why are you still dressed?" Shusuke asked with slight frown.

Swallowing, Ryoma cleared his throat and found his voice. "I thought you didn't want to use me as a sex slave."

Shusuked scoffed, "What made you think I'm going to use you as a sex slave now when I never did before? I only brought you here to bathe beside me as well as help scrub me. I will do the same for you."

Ryoma stared at the prince, dumbfounded by the answer. He let out a small 'oh' and then shook his head, mentally scolding himself for even thinking that Shusuke would have sex with him. He cleared his throat and quickly took off the dirty tunic, letting it puddle around his feet. As soon as he stepped forward, the prince handed him a cloth and demanded him to wipe him down. Ryoma scowled, grabbing the cloth from the prince. "I got it. You don't have to demand me to do it. Che, I can't believe I'm actually doing this. You should be glad that I'm even following your orders," he grumbled.

"Well, I do have to say that for the two months that I've been gone, you have…calmed down a little," Shusuke said amusingly.

"What does that mean?"

"Nothing."

"Ugh."

Rolling his eyes, Ryoma grabbed the bucket of water and rinsed Shusuke. After he rinsed him, Ryoma took the cloth and added some fragrant soap onto it. Rubbing it until it foamed, he pressed the cloth onto Shusuke's skin and began scrubbing. As he ran the cloth against Shusuke's body, he noticed that the prince had a few scars. He stopped what he was doing and without thinking, began tracing them. He heard a hiss and pulled his hands away. "Sorry," he muttered, "I just…didn't think a prince would have this many scars."

"I am not a sheltered prince. I have gone to war…I have seen the devastation it has brought to the land and the people," Shusuke whispered.

"So many destruction," Ryoma whispered back as quietly, running his fingers over the scars again.

"And yet beauty can still thrive."

Ryoma stopped his hands, slowly looking up. Shusuke had turned around and they were now facing each other. He stared into the prince's piercing blue eyes, fighting the urge to touch his face. His hands were already halfway there before he realized it. His eyes widened and he quickly dropped his hands while clearing his throat. "I'll wash you down now," he mumbled. Ryoma bent down to fill the bucket with water again. Picking the bucket up, he turned to face Shusuke again. He slowly poured the water, washing the soap off.

When he finished, Shusuke took the bucket from him and repeated the same process on him. The prince picked up a new cloth, soaping it before he began washing him. Ryoma watched Shusuke's movement, noting the calloused fingers on his skin. "Where were you the last two months anyway?" he asked to break the silence. For a moment, Shusuke stopped washing him.

"Worried?" Shusuke asked teasingly as he resumed rubbing the cloth on Ryoma's skin.

Ryoma blushed and retorted, "I wasn't…worried…that is…I mean…Agatha-"

"Lady Agatha," Shusuke corrected.

Grunting, Ryoma rolled his eyes and corrected himself, "_Lady _Agatha…that night, she said I was…that I will destroy your kingdom. I don't get it. I'm just a normal person from a different world. I have no idea why I was brought here or even how I got here. Why would I want to destroy your kingdom? I just thought maybe…you believed her words. Not that I'm saying you would trust me more, but…I'm pretty much harmless."

"I left to visit the Kingdom of Chelcia. The king was throwing a fit about how we aren't sending enough soldiers to help them fight off the Kingdom of Alruhan. He threatened to ally himself with them even though my older sister was given to him as an agreement to be our ally."

"So it was a political thing."

"Yes…in a way…my unc-the king told me to go as a diplomat, even though we already have a diplomat to take care of these type of stuff. Sir Ahmtuk is our kingdom's diplomat, but the king ordered me to go and so I went. Well, at least I got to visit my sister."

"So it wasn't because of Lady Agatha's words?"

"Part of it was that as well. I needed time-"

"But why would I want to destroy your kingdom?!" Ryoma growled and pulled away from Shusuke. He glared at the prince, not even caring about the consequences. "What did I do?"

"Lady Agatha has been gifted with the power sight, to see people's destiny. However, I would like to believe that I can defy that fate. Don't forget that she said you may die as well…if you were brought here as some kind of sacrifice for a curse to be put on my kingdom, as that is the only thing I and Oishi can think of…I cannot allow you to be separated from me. That is why I allowed you to learn the way of the sword. So you can protect yourself as well as be useful to me."

Closing his eyes, Ryoma slumped over and turned away from the prince. Ryoma ignored the prince even when he resumed washing him. When it was over and they were dressed in silk clothes, he silently followed the prince back. He was about to head over to his cell when Shusuke stopped him. Ryoma looked over his shoulder and arched a brow at the prince.

"Tonight, I want you to come to my chambers," Shusuke said.

Flabbergasted, Ryoma tried to speak, but found no words to speak. He frowned at the prince, shaking his head. "…and what matter of importance is this that I must attend with you to your chambers? Can we not…speak out here? Unless you wish to do other…things, although you have already told me you did not wish to do those stuff."

Shusuke raised a brow, "Must you always assume the worst of me?"

"Considering the fact that I'm supposed to be a slave and you nearly had me whipped and forced me to sparring matches where I would likely lose due to fatigue, yes."

"Well I guess that is a bit true," Shusuke said with a chuckle, "Forgive me. I was a bit…frustrated when you first appeared. I lashed it out on you. After all, a man who appears out of no where from the desert, claiming he came from the sky, who wore odd clothing...it was different. Not normal of what usually happens here. And then...there is also the oncoming war with the Kingdom of Alruhan as well as the mourning of the men who we lost during small scuffles with them. I'm sorry if you mistook it as...hatred. I never meant it to be that way. However, I do wish to speak to you in private. My chambers grant me the most privacy."

Ryoma hesitated, but nodded his head and followed after Shusuke again. As they came upon the prince's chambers, the two guards standing by the door eyed Ryoma and smirked at him. Ryoma rolled his eyes in disgust, entering the chambers after the prince. He knew by tomorrow, word will spread that he had entered the prince's chambers at night. No doubt, rumors will be flying around that the prince had used him. He wondered briefly what that will mean for his relationships he had developed with the soldiers. Closing his eyes in resignation, he could only hope the soldiers will not think less of him.

Lingering by the double doors, Ryoma watched on as Shusuke strolled over to a chair and sat down. A look from the prince told him to do the same and he did, but doing so cautiously. He sat, silently eying the other man. When the silence went on longer than he expected, he cleared his throat. "Well? Are we just going to sit here all night?" Ryoma asked with a raised brow. There was a smile on the prince's face, causing him to become anxious. "Seriously, what is it?"

"Nervous?" Shusuke asked as he turned his body in his chair and began to scroll down the paper set on the desk.

"Yes," Ryoma hissed, "I don't want the other soldiers to think...weird stuff. If you didn't need anything, what was the point of making me come here?"

"And what would you do if I told you that is exactly what I'm doing."

"..."

Glaring at the prince, Ryoma leaned back against the chair. He folded his arms across his chest. His lips pressed against each other into a thin line. He did not like the idea of the prince purposely doing such a thing to ruin his reputation. He made a low growl under his breath, lowering his head slightly. However, he could see the prince was not affected by his intimidating look. Rather, Shusuke looked amused. Ryoma huffed and rolled his eyes. "Mind explaining why?" he said in a low tone.

"There are..." Shusuke paused, then sighed, "a lot of people on the council who does not wish to see me succeed the throne."

"Why? You seem like a reliable prince who would probably make a great King."

"That may be true...but those on the council are greedy and if I become King, I will clean out all those who only wish to become prosperous while using their title to do evil deeds. They know that and so they oppose me."

"But what about your uncle? Weird as he may be...he doesn't seem that much of a bad guy..."

"My uncle..."

As Shusuke trailed off in deep thought, Ryoma couldn't help but wonder about the political struggles. Whatever that was happening in the court seemed to be an internal conflict. Sighing, he asked, "And so, how does this plan of keeping me here for the night suppose to help?"

The prince smiled at his question, "If rumors begin to spread of the nights you spend in my chambers they may begin to think that I have become infatuated with you. It will seem as if I have lowered my guard, but instead it will be they who will lower their guards. I know, without a doubt, they will send assassins after my life. If I can capture one and interrogate them, I maybe be able to get them off the council for treason of trying to murder a royalty."

"...you really planned it out."

Ryoma shook his head and then shrugged. As much as he disliked the idea, if it meant helping the prince, then he would go along with the plan. Of course, this didn't mean he liked the prince. "Fine," Ryoma grumbled out grudgingly, "I don't like the idea, but if it will help you, then I will go with your plan. Does this mean I have to come here every night now?"

"Yes...but I'm surprise you agreed so easily," Shusuke asked with wonder.

"What's the point of arguing? You would order me to do it anyways and I can't go against your orders."

Shusuke chuckled at his response. "Alright. Then you may go to sleep."

"And where will I be sleeping?"

"On the bed, of course."

"With you?"

"Well it must look true for those who will be coming into my chambers in the morning." Shuske tilted his head to the side slightly with a small smile.

"You're getting a kick out of this aren't you?" Ryoma glared, but grumbled under his breath and got into bed anyway. "I should get some kind of reward for this."

"Ah, but you are..."

"And what would that be?"

"My trust."

Ryoma was half way getting under the silk blankets when he stopped and glanced over to the prince. The expression of the prince's face showed he was being serious. Ryoma blinked once and then shrugged. Tugging the blankets over himself, he rolled onto his side. As he lay in the large bed, Ryoma stared at the stone walls. Long into the night, he could still hear the rustle of scrolls from the prince. He didn't know how long Shusuke stayed awake, but by the time morning had risen, he found the prince gone. The only evidence that showed the prince had slept at all was a small imprint of his body. Ryoma stared at it for a while and then reached over to touch it. It was still warm which meant the prince hadn't been gone for too long. He pulled his hands back and stretched them before swinging his legs over the bed. He was just about to get up when the chamber doors swung open and Raol stood between the door frames. Ryoma was surprised. He hadn't seen the keeper of the slaves in such a long time, he hadn't expected to see him again. Yet, despite the long separation, Raol looked no different. The scowl that Ryoma remembered from before was still plastered on the old man's face. "Well, it's been a while hasn't it, Raol?" Ryoma asked with a smirk.

"It has," Raol hissed, "Get up. We have to prepare you."

"For what?"

"A trip," Raol glared at him and then scowled, "I cannot believe that Prince Shusuke has decided to take _you_ with him on his trip to the Province of Nagyu."

"He's what?" Ryoma asked incredulously.

"You mean you did not hear?"

"No."

"Hmph, then it's best for you to find out for yourself. Now get up. You may have been given permission to train with the soldiers, but it doesn't change your status as a sex slave."

Grumbling to himself, Ryoma did as he was told. After the usual cleaning up, he was led to a smaller ball room where he saw Shusuke and the king together. The moment he stepped into the room, he could already feel tension thick in the air. He stopped a few feet away from the entrance after Raol left him. He stared at the prince and then slowly glanced over to the king.

"I'm glad you could make it, Ryoma," said Rohan with a friendly grin, "It seems my nephew here has decided to take you with him on a trip by whim."

"So I've been told," Ryoma muttered, glaring at Shusuke.

"I will also be bringing Tezuka and the others with me. There is no need to worry, your majesty. I will be perfectly fine and besides, Ryoma here has great swordsmanship as well. I trust that he will be a great bodyguard," Shusuke said without glancing at Ryoma.

"I see. Fine...just be careful of the barbarians in the Province of Nagyu. They wouldn't hesitate a moment to kill you or your men and then eat you all," said Rohan as he folded his arms across his chest, "Ryoma, I leave the prince in your hands then."

"Very well." Ryoma bowed, following after Shusuke as he started to leave. They were far from the room when Ryoma finally stopped the prince and asked, "Why am I going with you?"

"Would you rather stay here? Tezuka will be going with me, so you wouldn't have anyone to train you anyway," Shusuke asked.

He hesitated and then bit his lower lip. With a sigh, he nodded his head, "Fine."

"We head out today."

"But why are you going there?"

"I hear that in the Province of Nagyu, they have ancient texts of old magic. Oishi and I believe it may have some kind of clue to how you came here and how to return you home. Of course...that can only be found if we visit the original settlers in the province."

"..."

"Meaning...Nagyu was once an area that belonged to the Shakir people. However, after our kingdom was built, we enforced our religion upon them because the Shakir people did not believe in the same Gods and Goddesses that we did. Those who did not comply were killed."

"Like a genocide."

"...It was wrong of us. I know...I wasn't alive when that happened though. It was during the time of my grandfather's. The ones who the king calls the barbarians are the last of the Shakir people. I don't know if I can find them because they have gone into hiding, but it's our only chance."

"Will they even accept you?"

"I don't know, but it's worth a try. I don't wish to kill them...they are humans like us and they don't deserve such treatment. When I become King, I am thinking of returning their land to them."

Ryoma sighed, nodding his head. There was a lot of history to this land and it wasn't much different from his world. Much like Earth, the world of Armonia has its own history of bloodshed. "Alright...let's go get ready then."

* * *

By noon, they were on the road. There was at least a hundred or more soldiers traveling with him and Shusuke and each of them were either ahead, behind or beside the carriage that carried both of them. Ryoma leaned over to lift the flapping curtain a bit. He looked out at the scenery, but it was only hills of sands. Closing it again, he sat back and glanced at the prince. "So...why am I sitting here with you?" he asked.

"You don't know how to ride a horse," Shusuke said amusingly.

Frowning, Ryoma replied, "I could learn."

"It takes time to learn. I do not wish to waste time to teach you. It will be much faster this way. When we get to our destination, I will tell Tezuka teach you then."

He scowled, but didn't argue with the prince since he was correct anyway. "And here I thought it was because you wanted to further the rumor about us..." he muttered.

"It was that too," the prince said thoughtfully.

Flabbergasted, Ryoma stumbled with his words until he gave up. Huffing, he turned his head and decided to ignore the prince who happened to be chuckling at him. He was beginning to think the prince wasn't who he thought he was. When he first met the prince, Ryoma thought he was a cruel and serious man, but now, after seeing this side of him, he was thinking Shusuke wasn't just a cruel man, but also an annoying teaser and a sadist. Of course, he was also beginning to think the prince wasn't all that bad of a man too. Rather, he was man who cared for his people and wished for nothing, but the prosperity of his kingdom. Without a doubt, Ryoma knew Shusuke would make a great king, but he wondered if Rohan would give the throne up easily.

"My uncle would have to give up the throne since I will be reaching full age," Shusuke said.

Blinking, Ryoma turned and stared at him. He hadn't realized he spoke out loud. "Then I guess I will support you," he said.

"I thought my uncle offered you something in return for your support for him?"

"Huh? When was that?"

"In the garden."

"...Oh...no, he just wanted me to watch over you."

"I see..."

The conversation ended, leaving them to travel in silence for the rest of the way. For seven days, they traveled, camping at night and then traveling again in the morning. By the last day, Ryoma was tired of being stuck inside the carriage. So when they finally came to another stop, he asked if he could go outside. Shusuke allowed him and with much eagerness, Ryoma stepped out of the carriage. His eyes set on the landscape of the province and a gasp escaped his lips. The once desert land had become lush with green fields and forests. The sound of a rushing waterfall could be heard from afar, but what really awed him was the beauty of the untouched nature. He stepped onto the grass, circling around as he took in the scenery. Miles and miles of green fields and not far was a forest with silhouettes of mountains behind it. He looked up and stared at the blue sky. A soft breeze caressed his skin, surrounding him with the scent of open air. Suddenly, the light darkened slightly. Squinting his eyes, Ryoma stared up at the sky until a large shadow flew over him. His jaw dropped in awe at the sight of a white, scale beast flying overhead. "Is that...a...dragon?" he asked himself.

"It is," said Shusuke's voice from behind him.

Swiveling around, Ryoma stared blankly at the prince. He could not believe his eyes that he had just seen a dragon, but Shusuke had just told him that it was one. He looked back to stare at the disappearing black figure in the sky and then back at the prince. "It's real," he muttered.

"Yes...do you not have dragons in your world?" Shusuke asked.

"No...I mean...they're mythological creatures. We hear them in stories, but it's never been proven that they're real so seeing one is...amazing."

The prince chuckled, "Dragons...only exist here and in the Kingdom of Boswanna. By the way...we are here already. This is the Province of Nagyu."

* * *

**Author's Note**: I had this chapter done a few months ago...like, last year, hehe. I just didn't want to post it up yet because I wasn't sure I liked the chapter. So, I left it for a while and finally went back to it after deciding I didn't really want to rewrite it. Instead, I chose to scrap scenes if I didn't like them. In the end, I didn't make much changes...


	5. Chapter 5

Author's note: There will be OC characters. Characters may be out of character. This fan fiction is not related to the anime/manga. It will contain boy x boy.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Prince of Tennis.

**Warning**: Rated M for adult content. This chapter will include a sex scene with Ryoma x female OC.

* * *

**Chapter Five: The Name**

The traveling group arrive in the first city in the Province of Nagyu, Hourai. Cobble roads led to a city of crowded people and bustling noises. Winding streets spread out to bricks houses and shops. The closer they traveled to the center of the city, the louder everything became. Ryoma stared as colorful tents came into view. Sucking a breath, he took in the sight of hundreds of tents. Women were cooking and singing while children played and laugh. Men butchered the meat or were shouting our bargains. Freshly cooked bread and roasting meat drifted through the market. The city was alive with music floating in the air. Ryoma caught some of the lyrics whispering of green meadows and rolling hills. He strained his ear to hear more, but instead caught words of another language. Frowning, he turned to the male voice and found it amongst older men and women. The man wore a gray robe with his face hidden in the hood. His fingers strummed against the strings of the lute as he began to sing in a foreign tongue.

_I'fuin en nuin_

_Arne arta kii _

_Crie, lye nuva tal heilmare_

_Lye nuva tal heilmare _

Ryoma blinked, stopping in his tracks to listen to the music. It was strangely entrancing filled with a sorrowful tone, a longing of something once gone. It hit the deepest part inside him, something he didn't want to think about. _Home,_ Japan where his mother resided and where Haru was waiting, probably in tears now. He longed to go back, but there was no way of returning without knowing how he got here in the first place. Sighing, he pushed the thoughts back into its dark corner. He couldn't think about it without feeling home sick. Suddenly, he felt a presence beside him. Glancing to the side, Ryoma stared at the prince. The prince was standing with part of his weight leaning on his right leg and his arms folded across his chest. His head was tilted slightly to the side as if trying to understand the language. Then, Ryoma thought Shusuke had to know what the song was speaking of. After all, he was a prince which meant he had to know other languages. "Do you know what the song is about?" he asked.

Shusuke turned his head to look at him and then nodded his head, frowning slightly. He then translated the little piece they had heard, "The land of sun binds me here. Soon, we will go home, we will go home."

He sucked in a breath, turning his gaze back to the hooded figure. It was no wonder why he felt the song spoke of something familiar to him. Biting his lower lip, he looked away. "We might get left behind," he muttered, starting to walk away, but his was abruptly stopped by Shusuke. Arching a brow, he looked over his shoulder to the prince. The prince, however, was still gazing at the hooded man as if in a trance. Frowning, Ryoma turned around again. He was just about to ask what Shusuke wanted when he was interrupted.

"That man..." the prince's voice trailed.

Not understanding what the prince was trying to infer, he looked back to the cloaked figure. As the song ended, the figured glanced up. Ryoma gasped inwardly at the sight of a pair of blue eyes, pale complexion and a hint of blue hair strands. For a second, Ryoma thought he was staring at Haru. But it was a man, not a woman. He gulped, wanting to take a closer look, but the cloaked man was already getting up and leaving the market with his pouch of newly acquired coins.

"Let's go," Shusuke said with a shake of his head and took the lead.

Ryoma, however, lingered a little. He wanted to see the man's face again, but the cloaked figure walked farther away, disappearing into the crowd. With a heavy sigh, he turned and followed after the prince.

The cobble roads turned into smooth brick roads. Pathways diverted from the main road, leading to large mansions, each gated with iron black bars with sharp points at the tip. The main road continued, taking them farther away from the market and deeper into the rural area. Finally, what was left of bustling noises and music were the soft melodies of drifting female voices who sang in the field and the every so often echoes of animals. They were surrounded by rolling green hills and wheat covered fields. It would have been a peaceful place to live in.

In the distance was a lone mansion, bigger and fancier than the others. When they arrived, a man with blond curls and a bit of a pot belly, walked down the short flight of stairs. His arms were wide open for a hug and he went straight to Prince Shusuke, pulling him into an embrace. For a second, Ryoma felt a sting of rage, but didn't know why. However, he did notice the prince's lack of enthusiasm with the hug. When the blond man finally released him, Ryoma took a long look at his face. The man looked familiar, but he couldn't quite pinpoint where he had seen him.

"It's good to see you Prince Shusuke," the man said.

"And you too, Duke Hemming," the prince replied.

Hearing the name, Ryoma cringe in disgust. He remembered who the man was now. The duke was the same man who had suggested to test him by using a young child. Tilting his head down, he hid his expression. It wouldn't be good if the duke caught him and blamed the prince that he wasn't training his slaves. After the introductions, the duke asked a few maids to take everyone to where they needed to go. The soldiers were to spend the nights at the bunker made specifically for soldiers only. The prince, however, was to stay in the mansion with the duke.

"Ryoma, you stay with me," the prince said, turning to look at him.

Nodding his head, he walked over to the prince's side. Glancing up, he saw the look of sheer contempt plastered over Duke Hemming's face. If it wasn't for the fact that he was in the presence of the prince, Ryoma would have returned it with one of his own. Instead, he brought his gaze to the ground, acting like a submissive slave even though it wounded his pride.

"Ah, I remember him. I thought his face looked familiar. This is your bed slave," Duke Hemming said with arrogance.

"Yes. If you don't mind, I would like him to stay with me," Shusuke said easily.

"...you've made him into a soldier?"

"He is training, but he is still a bed slave first."

"That is...odd."

"I've always been the odd one."

"Of course...well then, follow me. You may take your slave with you."

Ryoma wanted to gag. He growled inwardly, turning his eyes to Shusuke. The prince caught his look and smiled secretly at him. Ryoma wanted to scowl, but chose to look away instead. He tried to breathe slowly to calm himself, but it didn't help. He disliked the duke in more ways than one. He didn't want to stay in the mansion of a pedophile. Just being anywhere near him sent him into a rage. How could a man like him ever exist? To use a child in such a way and not even feel shame about it. Still, it only meant that this world was not very different from his. Despite the fact that it was filled with magic and mythical creatures, humans were still humans. Greed and power manifested itself even in a world filled with a magical, ethereal sense.

They were taken to a room upstairs and left alone to unpack. Ryoma growled and tossed his bag onto a cushioned lounge chair near the window before slumping into it. He crossed his arms over his chest and raised a brow at the prince. However, Shusuke wasn't paying attention to him. "Well?" Ryoma hissed, "Want to explain why we are staying here?"

"What is there to explain? I am a royalty, of course I must stay in the house of the duke. It is to protect me," Shusuke said with a shrug.

"Why not a...inn?"

"I could have done that...and then the King would become suspicious."

"Why would he?"

"Because, he is-"

A knock on the door interrupted their conversation much to Ryoma's dissatisfaction. Sighing, he stood and walked over to the door. Swinging it open, he came face to face with the duke. For a moment, he wanted to stand tall and glare the man down, but logic took over brashness. Slowly, he dropped his gazr and bowed his head. He took a step back, allowing the prince to see who it was. When the duke came into view, Shusuke walked over to the door, stopping right in front of Ryoma.

"Is there something wrong?" Shusuke asked.

"I just wanted to tell you that I'm going to be having a party tonight...for welcoming you. Of course, this is all last minute notice, however most of the other dukes from nearby provinces will be coming here tonight. And...bring your slave. We'll be...entertaining our guests," Duke Hemming said with a pleasant smile.

"You really didn't have to."

"Ah, but I wanted to. So, for now, enjoy your rest. I will send a maid to come get you when the party begins and...I'll send my slave Keeper to dress your slave."

"Thank you."

Shusuke closed the door then turned to him. Ryoma groaned, knowing the look on the prince's face. He would have no say in it. They were going to joint he party, whether he liked it or not and he knew he wouldn't like it. After all, the duke did mention bringing him in the traditional slave outfit. Just thinking about the outfit made him cringe in disgust. He didn't want to wear such a thing again, especially after he had gotten use to life without a collar and cuffs. Shaking his head, he whirled around on his heels and stalked back to the lounge. He plopped himself back onto it and leaned back. Closing his eyes, he listened to the shuffling noises of Shusuke's footsteps and movements. It was barely a minute when he heard the prince clear his throat. One eye opened at the sound of it. Ryoma glanced over to him.

"I a little help," the prince said, indicating to the tied up lace on the back of his clothes.

Grumbling, he stood, walking over to the prince. Standing behind him, Ryoma began to untie the strings, undoing them quickly. As soon as the strings came undone, the silky over shirt slid down the prince's shoulders. One look at the skin sent shivers down his spine. Smooth, ivory skin that looked tempting, yet it was also carved with scars from wars. Ryoma quickly looked away, swallowing slowly to wet his dry throat. He kept his gaze averted as the prince quickly change out of his clothes and into looser clothes. "I can't fathom why you would put up with such difficult clothing," Ryoma said.

"It's clothing made specifically for royalties of the Erutan kingdom," Shusuke answered, turning to him as he adjusted the sash around his waist, "I've worn it my whole life...I'm use to it."

Ryoma shrugged his shoulders, "Well, they could have chose something easier." Shusuke smiled at his comment, surprising him. He didn't think the prince could smile as genuinely as he did. He flushed at the sudden sight of it and quickly averted his gaze from the smile.

"I'm going to get some sleep. Stand watch," Shusuke said as he made his way over to the bed.

Ryoma raised a brow, eyes traveling to follow the prince's every step. He half turned his body as the prince reached the alcove where the bed was located, screened off by a sheer, white curtain that hung from the ceiling beam. Shusuke turned and pulled the curtains close before crawling into bed. Behind the white translucent curtains, Ryoma could see the gray silhouette of the prince. He blinked, shocked that the prince was going to sleep in his presence. That had never happened before. Frowning, he returned to the lounge chair, but didn't sit. Instead, his eyes darted to the shelf built into the room, housing thousands of books. Curiously, he picked a book with a green, leather cover and gold writing. Looking at the cover, he noticed the foreign writing of the title. He wasn't sure if this was their language since he couldn't read it. Then again, it wasn't like he knew how to read their language. He only understood them due to Oishi's magic.

Shifting on his feet, he sat down on the lounge chair. His fingers traced over the intricate letters. Each one were swooping and curving, connecting them together in one long line. He let his fingers glide over to the edge and open it. The papers inside the book were like the ones in ancient books found from medieval time. The same type of writing covered the pages from left to right, but instead of one long line, there were breaks between words. In each small break were small, delicate dots. This continued throughout the pages he flipped through until he stopped on a single page with an illustration. Covering the page was a black inked image of a young man standing above the above clouds and watching the world below. His long, curly hair swept over his right shoulder and dropped to meet the earth. Ryoma stared at in awe. It was an elaborate picture with the smallest details of design. He flipped the page and was met with another illustration. This time it was a man with shorter hair and he stood below the earth. However, he didn't look up, but rather, at the reader. Ryoma was slightly taken aback by the detailed eyes which stared straight at him. They were cold, intimidating, yet familiar. He didn't understand why. A shaky breath escape his lips as his trembling fingers touched the edges of curved lines. It was almost as if he could hear the picture talking to him.

"_Lye nuva hein olma cas ena..."_

Ryoma quickly pulled his hand back as if he had been burned. The book fell from his hands, clattering onto the floor. The image of the man continued to stare up at him. The whispering voice shuttered through him, growing louder and louder. He gritted his teeth together and reach down to close the book. But as he was about to the close the book, the whispering voice echoed a single sentence in his head.

"_Lye edan inarr crie." _

The book fell shut and the voice disappeared, but it left a trembling wake of fear coursing through Ryoma. The last words of the voice rang through him, but not as a foreign language. He had understood it. _"We shall meet soon." _He shuddered at the words. Suddenly, a knock on the door dissipated the stifling air. He gasped, taking a deep breath. He glanced up at the door, staring at it for a second before he moved to open it.

A young maid stood outside of the door. She quickly brought her gaze to the floor and said, "The party will begin soon."

"Thank you. I will let the prince know," he said, making sure his voice didn't sound hoarse with exhaustion.

He closed the door, letting out a long sigh. Whatever that happened seconds ago, he wasn't going to tell anyone. It was an odd event, but he had a feeling that he shouldn't say a word. He took a few seconds to calm down and then walked over to the bed. He drew the curtains, laying his hazel eyes on the curved, sleeping form of the prince. One leg of the prince was uncovered, revealing a smooth calf and thigh. He had to shake off the sudden urge to touch it. Clearing his throat, he called out to the prince. "Prince Shusuke," he said, "The party will begin soon."

It only took him one time to announce it. The prince stirred from his slumber, opening groggy, blue eyes. Shusuke stared at him while lying, his hair a disheveled mess. There was a long silence passing between the two as they stared at one another. Ryoma swore he saw a brief flash of lust flickering through the prince's eyes, but it was gone as quickly as he thought he had seen it. Slowly, the prince rose from the bed, ordering him to grab his clothes he had shed off earlier. Nodding his head, Ryoma went to look for the clothes. Moments later, he found them. He was just about to turn when the prince suddenly appeared by his side.

"Thank you," the prince said.

Ryoma was taken aback by the gratitude. He stared at Shusuke as if he had grown two heads, "Um...you're welcome?"

The prince raised a brow at him, but didn't say a word. Instead, he took off his sleeping clothes and stretched his arms out, indicating to Ryoma that he had to dress him. Rolling his eyes, Ryoma went to work. He helped the prince put his clothes back on, tightening the strings on the sleeves ans back. Just as he finished, there was another knock on the door. He opened it once more. This time, a tall, muscular man stood outside of the room. His eyes passed over Ryoma, barely registering him and went straight to the prince.

The man bowed and said, "I have come to dress your slave."

Shusuke nodded and waved his hand for Ryoma to follow the other. Restraining the urge to roll his eyes and groan, he followed the Keeper out. They went down the flight of stairs, turned a few corridors and finally arrived at the slave baths. Entering inside, Ryoma couldn't help but compare it to the one at the palace. It was a lot smaller, but the décor was as fancy as the palace. Golden vines wrapped around column pillars and statues of women holding pots acted as fountains with water pouring from the pots. It wasn't as amazing as the one at the palace, but it still amazed him.

"Strip," commanded the Keeper.

Ryoma inwardly growled. Despite his growing rebellious emotion, he did as he was told. He stripped till he was stark naked. The Keeper circled around him like a predator prowling for its prey. His eyes even glinted with a flash of lust as he stared at Ryoma.

"Not bad," the Keeper stated before flicking a hand.

On the Keeper's call, a few young boys around the age of twelve came running out with cloths, aromatic oil, and buckets of clean water. The boys began to clean Ryoma, washing him first then oiling him down. Using a strigil, they scraped all the dirt from his traveling off and then rinsed him once more. He was then told to enter the bath. Ryoma stepped into the water with the young boys following suit. They surrounded him and began soaping him down, lathering him with the foamy wash cloths. After that, they soaped his hair, using a flower scented liquid. Once he was cleaned and dried, they led him another area where they massaged a sweet smelling oil into his skin.. Tiny hands ran across his chest and down his abdomen to his legs. They even tried to apply the balm on his penis, but Ryoma quickly shooed them off, stating he would do it himself. There was no way he was going to let anyone touch him there, so he applied it himself, although it was awkward since they were watching him. Atfer his application, the young boys began to paint him in gold paint. Swirls and intricate, designs of circles and curves were painted on his arms, legs, torso, and face. Then, they dress him. A silky white cloth was chosen to wrap around his waist, falling over to cover his lower region, but barely covering it. A gold sash was used to hold the white cloth. He was not allowed to wear any type of under garment, so if he had to bend over to even walk, he was sure his most private organ would be shown to the world. Ryoma quietly groaned, already knowing he would be on edge.

Now dressed, they presented him to the Keeper. The Keeper nodded his head in approval and then took him to another area. He stopped when the Keeper held his hand up for him to stop. Ryoma blinked, tilting his head slightly. Another slave, this time a teenage slave boy, brought a glinting metal object which laid upon a black satin pillow. The slave boy bowed and handed the object over to the Keeper. The Keeper turned and showed the object to Ryoma. He had to bite back a scowl when he recognized the item. It was none other than a gold collar with a chain attached to it. He hadn't worn one in two months. Despite his dislike of it, he tilted his head back slightly and allowed the Keeper to hook the collar on. Once the collar was in place, he was taken to a waiting room where Shusuke would come to attain him.

After several minutes, the door opened. Prince Shusuke was dressed as his normal self. When the prince saw him, however, he raised a brow. Ryoma returned it with one of his own. "You should know by now what they do to slaves when they mean to..._dress _them up," Ryoma hissed, "I don't like it."

"I don't either, but it's the custom of Duke Hemming and since we're under his care, we must follow his custom. Come along...the party is beginning," Shusuke said.

With a grunt, he trailed behind the prince.

* * *

He was right about the tiny, white cloth covering his lower region. It actually didn't cover it. Whenever he walked, the cloth would flap open, revealing his genital. Ryoma closed his eyes with embarrassment. It was worst than the first time. After some distance, they came upon the ball room door. As they walked through, a loud trumpet sound rang through the room. All eyes turned to them and Prince Shusuke's name was announced. With every eye on them, they slowly walked through the crowd until they reached the duke who stood in the middle of the room. Once they reached him, the people finally looked away and chatting resumed.

As Ryoma stood beside the prince, he took noticed of all the slaves. Just like he had seen before, the slaves were forced to crawl. They knelt beside their master, submissive and eyes cast down. He also noticed female slaves this time. They were dressed slightly different from the males. Although they were embellished with gold paint as well, the cloth covering them was a sheer white cloth, cut into a triangle, with the pointed part facing down. A gold sash was tied to their waist, but what connected to it was another transparent white cloth that split halfway vertically and strapped around to their back, covering their breasts. His eyes swept the crowd of slaves until they fell onto one certain, black hair girl. She was a little different from the rest. Although she wore the same type of clothing and had the same gold paint, she wore jewelery. Emeralds, rubies, sapphire, amethysts, diamonds, all the gems in the world Ryoma would point out were encased within gold linings and hung from her neck, waist, ankles, and wrists. She even wore a gem covered headdress. Suddenly, a pair of gold eyes stared back at him. Ryoma's eyes widen as she stared at him. A secretive smile graced her lips as she tipped her head down. _What I would give to fuck her_, he thought. He blinked, shocked at how own thought. He shook his head. That was not like him. He had always been devoted to Haru.

"What's wrong? You look pale," Shusuke whispered into his ear.

Ryoma jolted from the brush of breath on his ear and quickly glared at the prince, "Nothing."

"I see...come. Duke Hemming is going to announce for dinner."

Sighing, he followed after the prince. They went to the dining hall where a long, marble table was placed in the middle. Hundreds of chairs was placed on each side and one at each end. Duke Hemming was seat on the chair at the farthest end of the table from where they entered. Shusuke was to sit beside him. Ryoma didn't want to be near him, but as Shusuke had said earlier, they had to follow the custom of the duke. Trailing along behind the prince, Ryoma took notice of the slaves sitting beside their master. Although they were no longer kneeling, they still had their eyes cast to the floor. He was so busy observing, he nearly ran into the prince.

The duke grunted, "A very attentive slave you have there, Prince Shusuke."

"He is," the prince agreed with a serene smile, "especially in bed."

Even though Ryoma knew the prince was lying, it still made him seethe with anger. He didn't want to be seen as the one on the bottom. Huffing inwardly, he took a seat beside Shusuke. Once everyone was seat, the food was served. Roasted, juicy meat, green salads, fruits, and all sorts of delicious food were set on the table. After all the food was placed onto the table, the salves began to grab for their master. Unsure of what to do, Ryoma mimicked the slave beside him and slide the filled plate in front of Shusuke. Glancing back to the slave beside, he noted that he had begun to feed his master. Staring unabashedly, he frowned. He looked to the other slaves and found them doing the same. Then, he looked over to the prince who was staring back at him with an amused him. Ryoma's frowned deepened. He wasn't going to feed the prince and he was sure Shusuke knew he wasn't going to either. The prince suddenly chuckled as he reached for a piece of meat on his plate. As if that was the oddest thing in the world, everyone seat at the table hushed into silence and watched. Shusuke faced him with the dripping, juicy meat between his thumb, index, and middle finger. Smirking, the prince reached over and placed the meat in front of Ryoma's mouth. Confused, he opened his mouth to ask what the prince was doing, but his voice was muffled as the meat was promptly pushed into his mouth. His tongue touched the meat and all the flavor of it spread through out his mouth. If it wasn't for the awkwardness of the situation, he would have moaned in delight. And then it clicked in it head. The prince was trying to show the people that he had fallen for a slave, had lowered his guard and became infatuated. After all, everyone was his enemy. Ryoma changed his expression and closed his eye lids half way. He flicked his tongue, taking the meat into his mouth. It practically melted, but he wasn't done yet. His tongue swirled around the prince's fingers, sucking on them until all the juice from the meat disappeared from his fingers. And then he dragged his tongue down the prince's hand, following the trail of meat juice which had dripped down his hand to his arm. He finished licking with a moan. Opening his eyes fully, he stared into Shusuke's eyes. He saw a look of pure carnal lust in his eyes. This time, he knew he wasn't seeing it. The look sent shivers down his back. Suddenly, he wanted more. Not even caring that everyone was still watching, Ryoma picked up another piece of meat. He placed it in his mouth and leaned toward the prince. Taking his cue, Shusuke leaned into him, taking the meat from Ryoma's mouth. They crushed their lips into a messy kiss with their tongue dancing across one another and the meat melting away in both their mouth. Audience forgotten, they deepened the kiss.

He could feel himself becoming aroused as Shusuke sucked on his tongue, causing him to moan involuntarily. It wasn't until he heard someone clearing their throat did he feel the prince pull away from the kiss. Still lost in the passionate, amazing kiss, Ryoma followed after the prince's mouth. Realizing that the kiss wasn't going to resume, he whined and instead chose to lick the trailing saliva he saw on Shusuke's chin. It dawned on him what he was doing and he quickly pulled back. It seemed even his actions had surprised the prince because Shusuke was staring at him with a slightly widen eyes.

"My...Prince Shusuke, I didn't know you were so...intimate with your sex slave," Duke Hemming said.

The prince composed himself and turned to the duke with a small on his face, "What can I say? I've become...infatuated with him. Besides...he had wonderful tongue skills."

Although he was sure the prince was joking, he still involuntarily blushed. Looking away, he found the slaves staring at him with envy. He quickly dropped his gaze, not wanting to see their stares. After the whole fiasco, dinner resumed and ended. Duke Hemming took his guests to another room where they would be presented with "entertainment." Ryoma didn't understand what the duke was implying until Shusuke told him of the event that was going to take place. Slaves were to battle each other. Whoever fell first lost. Which ever slave lost would be taken by force from the other slave in public for everyone to see and then be given to the master of the winning slave as a prize. He gagged in disgust, but Shusuke hushed him.

Ryoma didn't want to see a disgusting event, so he kept his gaze downward. Yet even with his eyes set elsewhere, he could hear the sound of screaming pain from the beating. He looked up and caught the eyes of a young male slave as he was slammed to the floor. He winced and stared with shock as the older, more masculine slave male descended on him. His white cloth was ripped from him, sending roars of cheers from the crowds of aristocrats. Ryoma swallowed, feeling the bile rise from his stomach. He closed his eyes and heard the first scream of agony as the young male salve was penetrated. Following the slave's scream was the echoing slap of skin on skin and wet, slick sounds of penetration. Soon the screams turned into moans. Ryoma wasn't sure how long it lasted, but it felt like forever until the next match. He kept his eyes lowered and closed as the entertainment continued. When the even was coming to end, Ryoma felt a rush of relief. He couldn't wait to get out of there.

"Prince Shusuke, a few us wish to see your slave fight up there. He is being trained to fight, isn't he?" Duke Hemming asked from beside the prince.

Dread filled Ryoma as he stared wide eyed at the prince. He wanted the prince to say no, but the prince agreed. He was about to protest against the judgment, but a pair of strong hands were on him and dragging him up onto the stage. He stood in the middle of the ring with all the lights focused on him; the audience merely shadows in his eyes.

"I know the perfect opponent!" yelled a noble in the crowd, "I found this one on the street lingering by the house. He looked too handsome to pass up, so I claimed and took him. Here!"

Locks of blue hair came into Ryoma's view as he turned to face his opponent who was forcefully brought into the ring. He gasped at the sight of the man. It was the same cloaked man from the marketplace. "You...you're the one from the marketplace," Ryoma whispered.

The blue haired man stared at him blankly as if Ryoma's words didn't register at all. Suddenly, the bell rang, indicating the start of the match. Ryoma barely blinked before the blue haired man was gone. Taken aback, he whirled around. The blue haired man was already crouching and swinging his foot out toward Ryoma's feet. Ryoma was late to react and stumbled, but caught his footing. Although he had been taught hand to hand combat, he never actually trained in it. Cursing under his breathe, he tried to tackle the other male, but he disappeared again. He felt a hand reach behind him and then around him. His head was pulled into a backward lock. Ryoma tried to fight back, but a sudden kick to his legs caused him to become unbalance. The force of the kick pushed him backward. With the force, the other man used his headlock to bring Ryoma down. He didn't think it would work, but then his feet were no longer touching the ground. It was light air for a second and then he he felt the painful smack of his back slamming onto the floor. Ryoma coughed from the rough landing. He stared up at the ceiling in shock. He had lost and now, he was to be taken by force. Quickly rolling over on his hands and knees, he tried to get up, but a shadow fell over him. He looked up and saw the blue haired man looking down on him. _Shit_, he inwardly cursed. He could not let himself be overpowered so easily. Gritting his teeth together, he glared up at the man. He would not submit to him. He was about to stand when a loud bang from the audience broke the tension. Ryoma glanced over in the direction of the noise and found the prince standing with a frown plastered on his face.

"Enough of this," Shusuke said, "Tristan, you claimed to have found this man wandering nearby. Then that means, you haven't filled out the proper paper works to make him your slave. He has no master then, so the rules of this game does not apply to him. And, if you don't mind Tristan, I would like to take this man as my own slave."

A murmur washed over the audience, growing louder until Duke Hemming silenced them with his booming voice. He stood as well and stared at the prince with unhidden contempt. Ryoma scowled. If he was next to the prince, he would have made sure the duke's face would never be able to make an expression as that again. Standing up, his eyes darted between the prince and duke, ignoring the presence of the blue haired man. Losing to him, a sting to his pride, was probably not the most important thing at the moment. Although he didn't know who it was on the council that despised the prince, he assumed Duke Hemming was one of them. Every action he did was put as if he wanted to try and embarrass the prince as unfit to be a ruler and that was proof enough for Ryoma. That also meant he had to keep a close eye on the duke.

"You can't just claim a slave as your own when someone else found it first," Duke Hemming said with a scare, "How improper. Even if you are royalty, that's misuse of power."

"Really?" Shuske said, "Then how would you explain my slave, Ryoma? The captain of my army found him, which meant I found him first. And yet, the King claimed him as his own and made him into a slave. If what you said was true, then would it not be that since I found him first, I would have the authority to choose what Ryoma would have been or who could own him? It seems then, that what you said is also an offense to the King himself. If word ever got to the King of your accusation, I would not be surprised if you were stripped of your title."

"The King would never do that," the duke said with a smug look.

"Oh? Then, I guess I shall punish Tristan for disobeying a royal order as I am not asking for him to be handed over. I am ordering him to be given to me," said Shusuke as his eyes drifted over to the nobleman, Tristan, "What will it be?"

"I...I will happily give him to you, Prince Shusuke," stuttered the noble as he bowed.

"Good" Shusuke smiled.

"You cannot do that!" Duke Hemming Yelled with rage.

The prince turned his blazing eyes on the duke. His head tilted up with his chin pointed out. His eyes cast down on the duke with disdain. "You dare to speak out against me, Duke Hemming? As far as I know, you are not of royal blood nor are you a Royal Duke. You are merely a noble Duke which makes you lower than me in ranking. Know your place."

Duke Hemming cowered and sat back down. Ryoma raised a brow, his lips quirking up a bit. He liked the fact that the duke cowered away. _Prince Shusuke always did have a way to intimidate his opponents._ The game ended with Ryoma and the new slave being returned to the prince. Afterward, the people stayed around to mingle, drinking and chatting with one another. Ryoma stood beside the prince who was now acquainting himself with the new slave.

"Your name?" Shusuke asked.

"Seiichi," replied the blue haired man.

"Hmm...I would like to speak with you in private, if you don't mind. Ryoma, you can do as you please. Just...don't do anything stupid."

Ryoma glanced over to the prince with raised brows, but didn't question him. Shrugging his shoulders, he turned around headed for the garden for some fresh air. With all the people and the game from before, he needed to clear his mind. He stepped out into the night air and inhaled a long breath. He exhaled slowly, relaxing himself. Composing himself, he took a look around the garden. It wasn't as amazing as the one as the palace, but it was still beautiful. Flower bushes grew everywhere and a water fountain was placed in the center. He walked farther into the garden and found a stone pathway leading to a dome shaped alcove. It was covered with handing tree branches, leaves and flower bushes. Inside the alcove was a bedding, with white satin sheets and pillows and a transparent, white drapery covering the top. It was almost fantasy like to see such a thing. Curious, Ryoma walked into the alcove and sat down on the bed. It was actually soft and smooth, comfortable enough to fall asleep in. He was almost tempted to lie down, but fought the urge and stood again. His back faced where he had come from, so he didn't notice the figure behind him until he heard the feminine voice.

"I see you've found the hidden alcove," the female voice said.

Jumping at the voice, Ryoma turned around. He found himself staring into the golden pair of eyes from earlier. He gulped, his dropping and sweeping over the woman's body. Her body had all the perfect curves and her breasts were round and supple. He couldn't help, but stare.

"See something you like?" the woman asked seductively.

Ryoma looked away and shook his head. Reluctantly, he tore himself away from her, trying to walk pass her to return to the party, but she side stepped and stopped him. Raising a brow at her, he asked, "What?"

"Well, I thought you were interested in me. You were staring earlier," she replied smoothly.

"I don't think two slaves can be together."

"Nonsense, you saw the game."

"That was by force."

"Hmm, but I'm different from other female slaves. And I think you are too...so, why don't we...get to know each other?"

He was tempted to say yes, but shook his head again. He needed to get back. As he tried to leave again, he stopped him once more, holding onto his arm and pressing her breasts against his arm. He shuddered at the touch, feeling an arousal rush through his body. He gulped slowly, turning his gaze to her. He stared into her eyes, becoming lost in them.

"Come on...let's have some fun. No one will ever know," she whispered, licking her plump, luscious lips, "Just...for a bit."

Forgetting all logic, Ryoma growled and turned to her. He grabbed her by the waist and threw her onto the bed inside the alcove. She giggle at his brute strength. Ryoma stared at her and then descended upon her. She moaned at his approach, opening her legs to reveal her uncovered vagina. He made a noise in approval and began touching her, caressing her skin. It was smooth and soft under his touch. Tugging the sheer clothing off her, he let his hands roam across her supple breasts, pinching her hard nipples every now and then. With every touch, she mewled in delight, urging him on. It was as if something carnal unleashed inside him and he didn't what why. Pulling her hands up and locking them above her head by her wrist, Ryoma kissed his way down her neck to her collar bone. He nipped and sucked, leaving behind wondering red marks. He would claim her as his own, even if it meant him getting punished. He kissed lower, reaching her breasts. He took one of her perky nipples into his mouth and suck on it, biting it every now and then. He then switched side and did the same. Using his free hand, he groped her other breast, squeezing and rolling his finger around the pink nub. She was practically writhing underneath him. Smirking, he let his hand travel down between her legs. He felt the wet slick entrance, rubbing it ever so slowly before pushing his fingers in. He brushed her clit, causing her to moan and arch into him. Smiling, he continued his ministration until she let out a low moan, shuddering under him. He pulled his fingers out, examining the fluid stained fingers from her orgasm.

"Let me lick you," she said with a shaky voice.

He leaned back and watched as she got onto her hands and knees, crawling over to him. He nearly groaned at the sight of her, but held back. She pushed the white cloth away and stared at his raging hard on. She glanced up at him, pushing her hair behind her ears.

"You're big," she said with a smile, "I like that."

Taking his erection into her hands, she began to stroke him slowly. Ryoma let out a moan, his head rolling back. And her hands were replaced with her hot mouth, making him groan in pleasure. He rolled his head to the side and watched her as she bobbed up and down his dick. She was deep throating him in seconds, sucking him deep and moaning to send little vibrations around his cock. Ryoma grunted and began thrusting his hips into her mouth. He fucked her mouth hard, but before he could cum, she pulled away, releasing his erect length with a pop. His cock was now covered in her saliva, making for the perfect lubrication. She got onto her knees and straddled over him. Grabbing his cock, she slowly pushed it into her. She sat down, moaning as she fully sheathed him. Ryoma gasped from the hot cavern enclosing around him. He fell onto his back and let her do the work. She started moving up and down on his cock, gyrating whenever she slammed down on him. Ryoma grunted as she did. He licked his lips, staring at her bouncing bosoms. Unconsciously, he reached up with both hands and began to fondle her breast, tweaking her nipples. She moaned loudly, tossing her head back and began to move faster. Ryoma panted heavily, but found that she wasn't moving fast or hard enough for him. Growling, he sat up, pushing her down onto her back. Grabbing her legs, he draped them around his shoulders and began thrusting vigorously. He pushed deep inside her, being urge on by her dirty pleads. Suddenly, her lags were wrapped around his waist, pushing him in deeper as she begged for more. He slammed harder, but pulled out to turn her over onto her hands and knees. He entered her once more in one single thrust and began fucking her from behind. His free hands continued to grope her breasts as he thrust in and out. Soon he felt the tingle sensation of his ejaculation. He wanted to come inside, but the next words out of her mouth, brought him back into reality.

"Oh! Ah, ah! Yes! Ah...my lord! My King! Ahhhh! Please take me as you wish!" she begged.

Ryoma frowned, not understanding why she was calling him king. He slowed his pace, staring down at her. The rush of carnal instinct began to fade, bringing him back to his normal self, however she didn't realize the change in him. She turned her body, letting one of her leg cling over his shoulder while the other supported her.

"Don't stop," she pleaded as she started to move herself on him, "Please, don't stop." She reached up with a hand and cupped his cheek. "You are my God. My King. This world will change with your wake."

He completely pulled out of her and sat back. His frowned deepened with confusion. She didn't understand what she was talking about. "What...do you mean?" he asked, feeling a sudden anger.

"Hm?" she hummed and realized his mood change.

Her once glowing gold eyes began to dim as the sexual tension around them dispersed, leaving Ryoma empty and confused. She sat up and stared at him with a tilt of her head. Suddenly, she smiled slowly at him.

"I guess it didn't work. Here I thought if I could seduce you, you would finally awaken, but I guess we do need time," she said, more to herself than to Ryoma.

"What the fuck are you talking?" Ryoma asked, pulling back from her.

She laughed and got up from the bed while fixing her clothes and smoothing out all the wrinkles. She used her hands to comb through her hair, straitening it. She looked over to Ryoma, her eyes darting to his still erect cock. "If you hadn't come to your senses, you might have been able to finish off. Well, it's not my problem anymore. I hope you had fun, my lord. Don't worry, we'll meet again and next time, I know you wont stop in the middle." She turned and walked away with her hips swaying to and fro.

Ryoma stared after her, unsure of what just happened. It was as if he was being controlled by another entity. Sighing, he slumped back onto the bed and willed his arousal away. As he lay in wait, the words of the female slave entered his head again. Even though it was strange to hear her call him such titles, it also felt perfectly right to be called them. "What's happening to me?" he asked himself as he draped his arms over his eyes. Things were beginning to become complicated.

The moment his erection disappeared, he got up and fixed his appearance. When he thought he was good enough, he returned to the party. However, he was exhausted and wanted nothing more, but to sleep. Lost in thought, he hadn't seen the figure walking to him and nearly ran into the person. He stepped back and apologized.

"You...look like a mess," the person said.

Ryoma quickly glanced up and stared at the prince. By some strange reason, he couldn't bare to look the prince in the eyes, so he averted his gaze once more. There was no excuse for what he did, so he kept silent. Besides, he didn't need to tell the prince, because Shusuke would already know with one look at him. After all, the gold paints were smear from the encounter and his hair was in a mess. Long, red scratches covered his back was proof enough of his rendezvous. Shusuke sighed and he flinched from the sound. A bubble of guilt grew inside him. He had disappointed the prince and no doubt, probably embarrassed him.

"Come," the prince said.

That single word was filled with cold contempt. Ryoma wanted to crawl into a hole and never come back out. He didn't dare to look at Shusuke and merely followed after him. He was ashamed of his actions, but the problem was, he didn't know why he had done it either. Now that he thought it, the woman was not as entrancing as he thought when he first laid eyes upon her. After the whole diffusing situation with her calling him her lord, he found the aura surrounding her dissipate. It was almost as if he broke from her spell.

"We're going to find the Shakir tribe," Shusuke said as he led him away from the crowd.

"Right now?" Ryoma asked, his head lifting to stare at the back of Shusuke's head. When the prince turned his head to look at him, he quickly avoided eye contact.

"Now is the best time since Duke Hemming is distracted," Shusuke said, nodding his head in the direction of the duke.

Ryoma looked over in the pointed direction. The duke was surrounded by his male female slaves. His face was red from being drunk and he was fondling his slaves while smiling leeringly at them. He could not feel any hate for he had nearly done the same with the female slave. He sighed, disgusted that he had fallen as low as the duke. He brought his attention back to the prince and asked, "What about your new slave? Seiichi."

"He will be coming with us," Shusuke answered.

"He will?"

"Of course, because he will be showing us the way. He is of the Shakir tribe. In fact...he's their prince."

His eyes widen in surprise just as they met up with Seiichi. Ryoma brought his gaze over to the other prince. One look from the blue hair prince also told him that he understood the gist of what happened with Ryoma. He was fine with Shusuke, but the look of disgust on the other prince's face made him seethe with anger. He didn't care if Seiichi looked like Haru. He definitely wasn't his girlfriend. Falling into silence, he loitered behind them, following the two as they fell into a quiet conversation among themselves. Ryoma felt left behind, like a third-wheeler, but didn't say anything. There was something he didn't like about Seiichi, but he didn't know what. It was as if he didn't like the blue haired man because he was able to walk side by side with Prince Shusuke even though he had come after him. Ryoma frowned, finding his hate to be similar to jealousy. He blinked at the thought. There was no way he was jealous. Why would he? It wasn't as if he liked the prince anyway. Grumbling under his breath, he continued to trail after them in silence.

They were taken beyond the town and into the forest. They weaved through trees after trees until they were deep inside the woods. The dense thickets made it hard to see, but eventually, the forest came to a clearing. One large tree stood in the middle, its boughs of leaves hovering high in the sky. Below it, on the ground were huts with smoke billowing of the top. It was a tiny village. Ryoma was taken in by the sight of it. He didn't expect to see a group of people living so deep in the woods.

"Stop dawdling," hissed Shusuke when he was still lingering behind.

He quickly hastened his pace and stayed behind the two as they came upon a hut. Seiichi was the first to knock, whispering something. The door opened, revealing three young children. Among the three, two of them had black hair while the third was a brunette.

"Prince Seiichi!" yelled the brunette boy.

"Shh, Horio, not so loud," Seiichi reprimanded.

"Sorry."

"Kato, Mizuno, how is Grandmother Sumire?" Seiichi asked the other two boys.

"She's feeling a lot better," the one with the bowl hair cut replied.

"Yes, she's at least eaten," inputted the other one with the buzz cut hair.

"Thank you."

Seiichi led them to the back of the room where an old lady with long brown hair was sitting in a futon. She looked up when they entered the room. She first greeted Seiichi before she greeted Shusuke and him, but she kept her eyes wary of them.

"Ta' lan aa ilo sune na?" the woman asked in a foreign language.

"Shusuke walaer en Erutan," Seiichi answered as he seated himself beside her.

The women suddenly turned cold eyes on them then looked back to Seiichi quickly. "Lano naen il iira ron vina?!"

"Fe iiroe n'harwa mae lye."

The woman scoffed at Seiichi's words. A long silence filled with tension vibrated in the air. It was almost suffocating. Suddenly, the woman turned her attention to Shusuke and Ryoma. Her eyes glinted with hate and distrust. Once again, she scoffed.

"A prince? I'm sure you're no different from your grandfather or your father and uncle," the woman said in the language Ryoma understood.

"If that was so, I would have told your prince's identity to Duke Hemming or have him executed," Shusuke replied calmly.

"Hmph, so there must be something in return you want then."

"I do."

"And what will that be?"

"Information. I heard your people keep ancient texts of old magic. I wish to take a look at them."

"So you may do more harm to us?"

"No. I promise you, when I become king, I will return this land to your people. However, I wish to look at the old magic texts because there I want to know if there are any prophecies or magic that speak of people who come from another world."

"...when you become king? And when will that be? When your uncle dies?"

"In five months, I will be turning twenty-five. I will be the proper age to become ruler and since I am the prince of the true King, I will take my place on the throne."

"Hah, as if your uncle would easily let go of the throne with all the power he has. There is no doubt, there will be a power struggle and the people of the court who favors your uncle because of the power they receive under his rule will side with him. How many do you have on your side? Two? Maybe three? It is not enough. I can already foresee it, a civil war breaking out on this land, in this kingdom. And what will you do, oh high and mighty prince of Erutan, when you have no power to even overthrow your uncle?"

Ryoma looked over to the prince and noticed he was grinding his teeth together. His hands were balled into fists and a flash of anger flickered through his eyes. It seemed the old lady's words had hit a sore spot in the prince. Ryoma quickly looked away. He had a feeling something like that was going on, but he didn't actually want to believe it. After all, King Rohan didn't seem like such a bad guy. In fact, he seem to care for his nephew genuinely. So, he couldn't understand how the king wouldn't give up the throne to Shusuke.

"I don't...believe my uncle will do that," Shusuke finally said in a low tone.

"How incredibly naïve. After your uncle got rid of the men on the court who favored your father even after his death, who might have sided with you, you will still believe in your uncle? What is it that binds you to believe your King is a good man? The fact that he shares the same blood? But I will tell you, even the thickness of blood cannot change the true nature of a man who has been touched by greed and power," the woman replied.

"Even so...I will believe in it."

"I have never met a bigger fool before. Fine, since Prince Seiichi trust you, I shall put my trust in you too. Let us see if you truly can change what this kingdom has become."

"Grandmother Sumire," Seiichi whispered.

"Hush. Unfortunately, Prince Shusuke, our archives of the old magic were burned a long time ago when your uncle found our first hideout. We lost everything, from our prophecies to the most ancient of all magic. We cannot help you in your search. However, I do know of a certain prophecy which speaks of a man who will appear in this kingdom in the desert. That man will wreck havoc on the world, but as to how, I do not know," Sumire said.

Ryoma sucked in a breath. Her words were similar to Lady Agatha. But why? Why would it be that he would destroy the world when he has no magic or power? Ryoma glanced away, suddenly feeling nauseous. He bent over, clenching onto his knees as his breathing became ragged. Prince Shusuke noticed him and touched his shoulder gently. He tried to brush the prince's hand away, but his body was becoming heavy. His tongue felt heavy and his mouth dry. He was light headed and began to topple over. Shusuke caught him, calling out his name, but it sounded far away. Ryoma looked up at the prince's face, but his eyesight had become blurry. Then, as if someone was controlling his body, his arms shot out, grabbing Shusuke by the shoulders. His sight became clearer, but a rumbling lust for blood entered him, swarming his body. He smiled slowly. _"Arta nuva crie nadorin mae na'fuin. Hager arta. Arta essan len uner i'anore...Ca-" _Ryoma sucked in a breathe and then began to cough vigorously. He pushed away from Shusuke and ran for the door. Once outside, he empty his stomach, feeling the bile of sour acidic vomit rushing through his throat and splattering onto the dirt floor. He heaved, falling to his knees and wiping his mouth.

"Ryoma?" he heard Shusuke calling from behind him.

He stood slowly, although his legs were shaky. He leaned on the side of the house for support as he made his way back inside. He was met halfway with a concerned Shusuke. He shook his head, telling the prince it was nothing, except maybe the food from the party didn't go well with his stomach and he just needed some fresh air. Shusuke nodded his head and then returned to the room to tell the other two they were leaving. From where he stood, he could hear the muffle voices of the three.

"I wish to go with him, Grandmother Sumire," Seiichi said with determination.

"Prince Seiichi, if they find out your identity, they will kill you on the spot," Sumire said.

"Prince Shusuke will protect me, won't you?"

"Of course," Shusuke replied.

Sumire sighed, "Fine...Prince Shusuke...my name is Sumire Ryuzaki. I am born into the family line which protects the royal lineage of the Shakir tribe...however, if the prince wishes to go with you, promise me, you will protect him."

"I will," Shusuke answered.

"Another thing...I had a granddaughter, Sakuno. She was taken as a slave. Do you know if...maybe she is still alive?"

"I don't know, but I will look into it. If she is, I will try my best to bring her under my wings."

"Thank you. Then Prince Seiichi, please be careful."

"I will," Seiichi replied.

The two princes reappeared with Shusuke in the lead. They left the tiny village of the Shakir tribe and returned to the mansion where the party was still booming with loud chattering and laughs. On their way to the room which had been given to them to rest in, Shusuke turned to Ryoma. Seiichi had entered the room, Shusuke stopped Ryoma from entering. He raised a brow at the prince's action.

"How did you know how to speak the Shakir language? Only those who are educated know it...but you...Oishi never gave you the knowledge to know that language. Do you even know what you said?" Shusuke asked suspiciously.

"...I don't know..." Ryoma replied hesitantly.

"I will soon return to this land. Fear me. My name which tremble the souls...and you never finished saying the name. Do you know?"

Ryoma licked his bottom lip. He stared at Shusuke and opened his mouth to reply, but nothing came. Instead, he shook his head. The prince, however, stared at him with suspicion. "I really don't know," Ryoma said, looking away from the prince.

"...I will have to talk to Oishi about this," Shusuke said, turning to enter the room, "I don't know what's going on, but...Ryoma...if you are someone who will destroy this land...I will stop you no matter what. Even if it means I will have to kill you."

The prince's cold words sliced through him and he cringed in pain. Ryoma stared after Prince Shusuke, even after he had entered the room and began talking to Seiichi. He stood unmoving, his teeth gritting together. There was an underlying fear in his blood, coursing through his veins. He had lied to the prince. In truth, he did know what he was saying and the name he was about to say. Although he hadn't finish saying the name out loud, the name had reeled through his head. He took a step back, leaning against the opposite wall. The name once again flickered through his mind. _Caos..._

* * *

**Author's note**: Update, finally. I was suppose to update earlier, but I suddenly felt sick. Stomach pains which came in short pangs and then I had the shivers and everything. I really wanted to work on it, but then I was kept to the bed all day. But! I felt better today and got to work. So, this chapter pretty much hinted as to who Ryoma is and why he is was brought there. Hehe, XD. Oh and for the language of the Shakir tribe which Seiichi actually sang in also...um, I'm pretty sure most of you might have pronounced it right, but I will give a little lesson on how to pronounce the words. Actually, the way to say the words are much like how Japanese sound. So, in other words...

"a" is pronounced short. - ă like in "father"

"e" is short – ĕ like in "fed"

"o" is long – ō like in "own"

"i" is long e – ē like in "feel"

"u" is long – ū like in "use"

"ei" together is pronounced like short e – ĕ

Roll the "r" slightly with your tongue

"h" is silent

So it would be like this: _I'fuin en nuin – _ē fūēn ĕn nūēn

_Arne arta kii – _ărnĕ ărtă kēē

_Crie, lye nuva tal heilmare – _Crēĕ, lie nūvă tăl ĕlmărĕ

_Lye nuva tal heilmare – _lie nūvă tăl ĕlmărĕ

So, use that with the conversation between Seiichi and Sumire. I will also translate their conversation:

Sumire: And who may your friends be?

Seiichi: Prince Shusuke of Erutan.

Sumire: Why have you brought them here?!

Seiichi: He brings no harm to us.

And this sentence which Ryoma hears in his head: "_Lye nuva hein olma cas ena..."_ - We will come together as one.

And of course, I've already translated what Ryoma said at the end. Also, the word I used "arta" means "me," "my," "mine," and "I." It's the reason why I used it quite a bit in Ryoma's sentence but it translated into multiple things. "Lye" which is pronounced as "lie" means "we," "us," and "our(s)." And no, I did not go creative into creating my own language. These are words taken from another language, just letters switched and I added a little spin to the pronunciation. I would have tried to learn linguistic so I could create my own language, but it was a lot to go over, haha. Phonetics, syntax, and stuff, I didn't have the patience, hehe. So, I cheated a little, XD. But hey, it works. Oh, this doesn't apply to the first chapter where Oishi was talking to Ryoma in a different language. It's suppose to be two different languages. Anyways, hope this helps!

Oh yeah, I hope you guys don't bash me for Ryoma's little...uh...affair with that lady. XD Don't worry, this will only be the time and Ryoma wasn't himself.


	6. Chapter 6

Author's note: There will be OC characters. Characters may be out of character. This fan fiction is not related to the anime/manga. It will contain boy x boy.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Prince of Tennis.

**Warning**: Rated M for adult content.

* * *

**Chapter Six: Progression**

They had returned to the desert in less than a week much to Ryoma's relief. The time spent at Duke Hemming's manor had opened up a lot of mysterious, many which he didn't wish to dwell on. Now that they were returning, he would resume his training which meant he could keep his mind off other things, especially the fact that he was fuming with internal rage with the prince ignoring him. Ever since his strange incident where he spoke the Shakir language, Shusuke had been suspicious of him, avoiding him and even taken to spending time with Seiichi instead. He sighed inwardly, tossing his thoughts into the back of his mind. There was no point in dwelling if Prince Shusue had already made up his mind. Besides, it just meant he didn't have to spend his nights in the prince's chambers pretending to be taken to bed by him. It was good, even if that meant he no longer had the prince's trust.

The return to the palace had been a quiet one. There was no commotion or a party to welcome them back, just a few servants tending to them. The King had come to greet them once, but immediately left to attend a meeting. Later that night, as Ryoma had thought, Shusuke took Seiichi to his room instead of him. That had actually earned a few curious glances from the soldiers, but he shrugged it off, walking back to his cell. Of course, no one knew of Seiichi's real identity except Tezuka and Oishi, who was just recently let in on the secret. And of course him as well, to which he was later threatened that if he ever tried to reveal Seiichi's identity, he would no longer be training. He sighed as he entered his cell, remembering the look in Shusuke's eyes. The prince had really meant it. He flopped onto the uncomfortable cot, grunting. It didn't even matter to him. It wasn't as if he could gain anything out of revealing Seiichi's true identity. The only thing he wanted was to return home, but even that was a mystery no one knew how to do. Closing his eyes, he surprisingly felt exhausted and fell asleep.

The lingering days after the return, left Ryoma with only training. Shusuke had often left him alone with the other soldiers, tending to Seiichi and other matters. Like the two months without Shusuke's supervision, Ryoma trained hard day in and day out. Everyday he became better, defeating other soldiers who had been longer than him in sparring matches. Even Tezuka had acknowledged him and by rare chances, praised him. Like any other usual day since Shusuke left him alone, he was training, but from the corner of his eyes he spotted Seiichi watching them. Nearly distracted, he almost missed the incoming swing. At the last minute, he parried it and quickly turned against his opponent. The sword dislodged from his opponent's hands and he took the advantage, defeating his opponent in one fell swoop. The other knight tumbled backward, falling and landing on his back with Ryoma standing triumph. A clap in the distance caught his attention and he looked up to find Seiichi clapping as he walked toward them.

"You're a great swordsman," Seiichi said as soon as he was within hearing distance, "But not so great at hand to hand combat."

The blue haired prince was referring to their match at the Duke Hemming where he had lost. The other even dared to have a smug expression. That pissed Ryoma off. Clucking his tongue, Ryoma rolled his shoulders. He shrugged and asked, "Then why don't you teach me?"

"...alright. I can teach you right now," Seiichi said as he began to slip off the white cloak he had been wearing.

"Right now? What about your duties to Prince Shusuke?"

"He's at a royal meeting with the King and the court."

"I see...fine."

Ryoma tossed his sword aside, shaking his arms and then positioned himself. The first contact came at him quickly. He hadn't even notice the movement. His arm was suddenly grabbed and he was pulled forward. Despite Seiichi's feminine features and lithe body, he was strong and the tug had Ryoma stumbling forward. The next attack was a sweep to his leg and then a grab to his shirt while the elbow slammed into his neck, causing him to choke for a second. He felt the floor disappear fro his feet and suddenly, the was thrown onto the dirt floor, eyes looking up at the sky. The quick throw to the floor had stunned him for a second and in the short moment, Seiich had used it to his advantage. The man lifted his foot and made a motion to slam it into Ryoma's ribs, however, the blow never came. He blinked, staring up at the blue haired prince. Seiichi bent over and held a hand out to him. Reluctantly, he took it and got to his feet.

"Always move to strike first and always be quick or counter attack quickly. You always want to avoid confrontation. The whole point is to avoid and neutralize. Attack the most vulnerable spots of the body," Seiichi said, "Let's try it again."

Nodding his head, Ryoma got into his ready position again. The rest of training continued with hand to hand combat training. Although he was a bit slower in learning it, he did improve by the end of the day and was able to take down Seiichi a few times. By the time training was over, Shusuke had come to take Seiichi away, leaving Ryoma with the rest of the soldiers. As he was setting things away, Momoshiro came up to him, wrapping an arm around him. The musk of sweat reeked from Momoshiro and Ryoma quickly weaned to the side with a scrunch of his nose. The other man seem to have caught his movement and grinned brightly at him. Rolling his eyes, he resumed putting things away.

"So, what's this I hear about you being abandoned by the prince huh?" Momoshiro asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Ryoma replied, eyes on the equipments.

"Don't try to lie. I saw that! Prince Shusuke came to get the new guy guy, not you. Already lost his favor huh? Ya' know, I kinda don't like him."

"Why not? Seiichi isn't such a bad guy."

"Well, I mean he isn't, but you weren't here when he trained with us before. The guy looks all nice and everything, but when you spar with him, he gets really serious. So far no one has beaten him and he's on par with Captain Tezuka! Just who the hell is he? Where did Prince Shusuke pick him up? I mean, I know he came back with us from when we went to the Province of Nagyu, but...sheesh, that guys crazy skilled."

"Just some guy..."

"...ooooh? What's this? Am I sensing jealousy?"

Momoshiro wriggled his eyebrows up and down while laughing. Ryoma grunted and shoved the older man aside. He wasn't jealous. He definitely wasn't jealous that Shusuke had chosen Seiichi over him even though he was by the prince's side first or that Shusuke had made a plan with him to weed out traitors who might want to kill him, but had instead chosen Seiichi for the job. Nope, he definitely wasn't jealous. Growling, he slammed the equipment onto the rack.

"Whoa! Careful with the equipments. I didn't think you would get all jealous over Shusuke finding a new boy toy," Momoshiro said with raised brows.

"I'm not jealous," Ryoma growled, glaring at Momoshiro, "I'm glad I don't have to be by the prince's side anymore...away from all his selfish, commanding orders. Besides, why would I want to continue being a sex slave."

"You know, sex slaves are actually in a better position."

Ryoma turned incredulous eyes to his friend. "You're fucking crazy."

"I'm not!" Momoshiro yelled, "Just...look, us soldiers have to go out to war and we don't even know if we will come back alive. And if we do die, all our family will get is money for compensation and medals for our honor. But what's the point of medals of honor when you're already dead? It'll be no good and so what if your family will be honored...it doesn't last forever. There will always be new, younger soldiers to take your place. Soon, you'll just be another forgotten face. Out on the battle field, it's kill or be killed. You're always on alert for enemy attack and food isn't always plenty. But being a bed slave...at least you get to live comfortably at the palace, have all the food you want and relax in nice, comfortable beds. You'll be away from danger."

"Except the fact that you have to open your legs to men or women who are your masters and you can't refuse them even though you hate it."

"Better that than dying. Once you're dead, you're dead. No possibility of having a second chance."

Ryoma pressed his lips together into a thin line. Momoshiro had made a good point, but he didn't like either choices. Sighing, he began to put the equipments away again, this time more gently. After he was done, he sat down on the floor and leaned his back against the wall. Momoshiro chose to sit next to him. Together, they sat in silence, watching the setting sun and the soldiers leaving the grounds to bathe. "In my world...I didn't have to worry about such things. Slavery had long been banished...and war...there is war, but it's never on our homeland. It's far away from us...the only way to hear about it is through the news and even then, the news may censor the truth. But, at least we live lives not having to worry about death everyday," he whispered.

"You've never killed a man in your life before, have you?" Momoshiro asked him.

He shook his head, "Never. There's no need."

"Then let me ask you...how will you kill a man here? You train with us everyday, but you've never seen real battle before. You haven't even felt how the sword will slice through flesh or bone...nor have you witnessed the dead eyes of your comrades. I...don't think you should be fighting alongside with us. I mean, I think it's cool and all that you're trying and you're really good, but this is all practice. In real battle, things aren't always predictable. You've never seen real battle before. Maybe it's best if you resume your post as bed slave."

Ryoma sucked in a breath, turned his gaze to Momoshiro was staring at him with honest eyes. He wasn't trying to be insulting. Rather, his friends was telling him the truth. Reality was always painful truth. Of course he knew if he had to ever kill a man, he didn't think he could do it. He never had to do it before in his life. And now, here he was, stuck in world where such things were normal occurrences and he had to get use to it. Problem was, he didn't think he could. He looked away from the other soldier, slumping his shoulders slightly. He heard the other man move to get up and then a squeeze on his shoulder before Momoshiro left. Now all alone, Ryoma began to think of matters he didn't want to think about. All he wanted was to find a place to belong in, but it seemed he didn't belong anywhere, not in the soldiers quarters or by the prince's side. He was alone, placed in a cell far from the other others. This was not his home...not where he belonged. The pang of loneliness swallowed him. He longed for Japan, to go home where things were more familiar. Sighing, he brought his knees up and buried his face into them.

"Hm? Oh, Ryoma is that you?" called out a voice.

Lifting his head, Ryoma looked over in the direction of the voice. Oishi was standing not too far with a handful of scrolls. Blinking, he stood, dusting himself off and walked over to the priest. He helped Oishi by taking some of the scrolls off his hand. "Where are you heading?" Ryoma asked.

"I was going to make a delivery. Oh, since you're here, why don't you help me?" Oishi asked with gentle smile.

"Sure."

Grabbing some more scrolls from Oishi, Ryoma followed after the priest. They left the palace and headed toward the temples. Once there, Oishi dropped off the scrolls, leaving him to wait by the entrance. As Ryoma waited for the priest to return, he leaned against the railing and stared out into the sea of orange flickering lights that dotted across the blackness. They were like tiny souls, floating in one place amidst the abyss, lost and helpless. Sighing, he leaned back, but suddenly heard footsteps. He swiftly turned around, facing the approaching figure. The gray silhouette turned out to be a female and someone he knew.

"Lady Agatha?" he called out.

She blinked, frowning slightly, "Who is there?"

"It's me...Ryoma."

"Oh! The young man who was with Shusuke. What brings you here so late at night?"

"I was helping Oishi make a delivery."

He walked over to her and helped her to take a seat on one of the marble stone benches. She thanked him and patted his hand. Her pale eyes stared straight at him, sending tiny shivers through him. He didn't find them creepy, but he felt as if her eyes could see through him. He glanced away and once again stared out into the city.

"Something is bothering you," she said.

Ryoma blinked, casting her a long look. Finally, he said, "What you said before...when I was here last time, you said I would bring death to the kingdom. What did you mean?"

"Hmmm...the Gods always have something in store for us. They test us, to see where our faiths lie and we mustn't run from it. We must face it and follow their will."

"But what if I don't want to."

"Oh child..." Lady Agatha turned to him and placed a fragile hand on his cheek, "Your heart trembles, your soul shivers...you fear what your fate is, but you mustn't be afraid. Your heart is pure and strong. A light burns inside of it, becoming your hope."

"Ryoma?" Oishi interrupted them.

Ryoma turned and stood. He bid farewell to Lady Agatha and followed Oishi back to the palace. When they arrived, Oishi thanked him, then returned to his quarters. As he was walking toward the baths, he spotted Momoshiro pacing near the baths. Raising a brow, he quietly approached the man. When his friend's back was turned to him, he placed a hand on his shoulder which earned him a sudden elbow swing. Ryoma backed off, stepping back in time to avoid the hit. "Momo!" he hissed, "Watch it!"

"Ryoma? My bad...shit, don't suddenly just grab me like that," Momoshiro said.

"Well you should have noticed I was approaching."

"I was...uh...I saw these two guys walking over to the Prince's chambers. Didn't know if I should follow or not. I mean, what if Prince Shusuke called for them..."

"Idiot! Let's go!"

Ryoma grabbed Momoshiro by the arm and ran toward Shusuke's chambers. He feared for the worst, but knowing Shusuke and Seiichi were together, he at least trusted they could defend themselves. As they rounded the corner, Ryoma skidded to a stop and tugged Momoshiro back into the shadows. They weren't far from the two shadowy figures who stood on either side of the prince's chamber doors. Ryoma listened closely to the two figures as they spoke quietly to themselves.

"So, what's the plan?" asked one of them.

"Heh, I hear the prince is infatuated with one of the slaves. Now that he has his guard down, he's probably fucking the slave...we'll use that moment to burst in and kill him, then blame it on the slave," said the other.

They both chuckled quietly to themselves at the plan, but Ryoma was gritting his teeth in anger. He looked over to his shoulders where Momoshiro was squatting. The two soldiers nodded their heads together. Quietly, they slunk against the wall, hiding in the shadows until they were close enough for an attack. Before the two assailants could break into the prince's room, Ryoma and Momoshiro jumped out and grabbed the two men. The attackers yelped in surprise at the sudden attack on them. Ryoma used the hand to hand combat he had learned earlier to avoid the sword swings. Then, as the enemy swung down, Ryoma blocked him arm, took a step in and quickly strike the man's neck with precision, then kneed him in the groin. The sword clattered onto the floor. Ryoma picked it up, but as he turned back to the assailant he was fighting, he heard Momoshiro grunt in pain. He looked over his shoulder and found the older man crouching on the floor with a hand clenching his stomach. At first, he though Momoshiro had been stabbed, but he noticed the other attacker didn't have a weapon with him. Relief washed over him, but it quickly passed as the other attacker lunged at him. Ryoma reacted out of instinct from all the training and swung the sword. It slit through flesh, cutting straight across the man's neck. Ryoma stared in shock as he felt the warm splatter of blood on his skin. He stood frozen as the man crumpled to the ground, gurgling incoherent words. Blood pooled below the man as he twitched for a while, then went still; his eyes stared wide eyed into nothing. Ryoma breathed heavily, fighting back the urge to puke. He needed to be strong. He swallowed slowly, licking his lips slowly. But as his tongue touched his lips, he tasted the metallic iron of blood. He gagged and suddenly, he was bending over and throwing up. At that moment, the chamber doors opened, revealing a lightly dressed Shusuke and Seiichi.

"What-" Shusuke stopped mid-sentence, staring at the mess laying before him.

"Ryoma?" Seiichi whispered from behind the prince and then stepped forward, walking pass the prince and laid a gentle hand on his shoulder, "What happened?"

"Assassins," Ryoma replied curtly, "That guy over there is still alive." He nodded his head to the one he had knocked out on the floor who was still groaning in pain.

"Okay...Prince Shusuke?" Seiichi looked over to the prince, "Should I call Captain Tezuka."

"Yes," Shusuke replied.

Seiichi left while Momoshiro struggled to get up. After some time, thudding footsteps resounded through the hallways. Tezuka appeared around the corner and quickly asked Momoshiro for a report. Ryoma, however, got to his feet and leaned against one of the columns, watching the scene play out before him as if it was a movie. His mind was still reeling with the image of the blood spurting and the man's eyes. He couldn't believe it had been him who had done that. In the midst of his thoughts, he saw Tezuka walk to him and pat him on the shoulder. He didn't hear a word the captain said, but he knew from the look of a rare smile that Tezuka was praising him. But how could he ever find pride in doing what he had done. He had just killed a man. When the place was clean and the remaining alive assailant was hauled away, Ryoma lingered behind, still covered in dried blood and holding the bloodied sword in hand. It wasn't until he felt a soft touch on his shoulder, did he finally snap out of his trance. He tilted his head to the side and glanced over to the person. Shusuke was standing beside him with a blank expression.

"You should...go take a bath," the prince said softy.

Ryoma nodded and tried to leave, but Shusuke held him back.

"In my bathhouse," Shusuke said firmly, "I will go with you."

He didn't object and began walking in the direction of the bathhouse belonging to prince. Once there, he stripped out of the bloodstained clothes. While pouring water over himself, he realized he was shaking. He stopped and suddenly dropped the bucket. His body was shivering as the sight of the dead man flashed through his mind over and over. Again, he felt hands on him, soothing him gently while washing him.

"It was your first time...killing a man," Shusuke whispered.

"...yeah," Ryoma replied hoarsely, "I never needed to...in my world."

"Hmm...turn around."

Doing as he was told, he turned and allowed the prince tend to him. If he was in the right state of mind, he would have found it strange that the prince was tending to him and not the other way around, but at the moment he didn't care. The soft touches mixed with the feel of calloused fingertips seem to calm him. He closed his eyes, letting the feel of hands run over him. Before he knew it, Shusuke was done cleaning him and ordering him to enter the bath. Raising a brow, he followed the command and stepped inside. He groaned in relief as the hot water soaked into his aching muscles. Soon, the nimble fingers were running through his hair again and massaging his scalp. He hummed in delight at the distraction, but then he really did wonder why this was happening. "Why...are you doing this?" Ryoma asked. He opened his eyes, looking over his shoulder. His sight was met with ivory flesh. Blushing, he quickly turned away. He hadn't realized that the prince had also stripped himself. He shouldn't have been embarrassed though, after all, he had seen the prince naked before. Still, it was surprising.

"As as apology," the prince said softly, "For...not trusting you. I told Oishi about what happened when you began speaking in the Shakir language. He believed that even though you were from another world, the Gods had blessed you. I didn't believe him and so I tested you, to see if anything else would happen...if you would suddenly act strange, but nothing happened and then...this. You stopped those men even after I had dismissed you and even threatened that I would kill you if you were a threat to us. I...am truly sorry for saying that."

Ryoma shrugged, remaining silent and letting Shusuke finish his massage. After some time, he heard the water swoosh and then felt a body next to him. He glanced to the side, staring at the prince. "Did you ever...have nightmares the first time you killed someone?" he asked hesitantly.

"Many times," Shusuke answered, "I was only thirteen when I was forced to protect my own life. I killed a man and he died lying on top of me with his blood spilling onto me. It's something I will always remember. But you get use to it, especially if it becomes a daily part of your life..."

"...what were you and Seiichi doing?" Ryoma frowned. He hadn't meant to ask that, but the question slipped from his lips before he could stop himself.

Shusuke brought his gaze over to him and smiled slowly, "Are you jealous?"

"No." Ryoma scowled. He wasn't jealous, he was just curious.

"Seiichi and I were merely planning ideas together. Future ideas about how to return the land to his people. That's all...but you know, even though I pushed you away, I did miss your presence. It was a bit lonely without you, odd as it may be."

Ryoma flushed and quickly averted his gaze along with his face, so the prince couldn't see. He wouldn't let the prince see how much his words had affected him. It would embarrass him for life. He sunk lower into the water, letting the water continue soaking him. He heard the water slosh again and peeked one eye open. He tilted his head, watching as the prince turned around with his back facing him. Shusuke was getting up, giving him full view of his back and buttocks. Ryoma sucked in a breath at the beautiful sight of the man's back. Lithe, yet toned, filled with strength and marred with white scars. Water droplets slid slowly down the skin, making him look all the more sexy. He licked his bottom lip, swiftly darting his eyes away. Ryoma closed his eyes, trying to push the image away. He didn't want to believe think there was a chance of attraction toward the prince. Getting up, he followed suit and eventually the two were dried, dressed, and heading back to the prince's chamber.

He took one step inside the chamber and knew something was amiss. Blinking, he glanced around the room, but found nothing out of place, at least, since he had last been there. The feeling continued to bother him though, so he turned around to say something, but was immediately hushed by a finger. His eyebrows shot up in surprise. Shusuke was standing close—way too close for comfort—with his index finger sliding slowly down to his chin. At first Ryoma was confused, but as he glanced into the prince's eyes, he realized the prince knew something was wrong too. That was when he realized someone was definitely inside the chamber with them. Gulping silently, he waited for the prince to lead the plan. With no words, Shusuke's hands slid up and down his arms before grasping his hand and leading him to the bed. Ryoma's breath hitches involuntarily as he was pushed down. His gaze remained on the prince's eyes, only noticing a dart to the side. His eyes followed the movement and noted the sword. He got the message and gave a slight nod. Suddenly, the prince was straddling him, sliding the tunic off till it hung around his shoulder, binding him a bit. Even though the situation seemed urgent, Ryoma couldn't help, but feel a little excited. He felt his body react to the caressing. Biting back a moan, he bit his lower lip before exhaling slowly and shakily. Where ever the prince's fingers touched, it left a scalding heat on his skin. As much as he tried, Ryoma ended up gasping and then moaned. Surprised by his own reaction, he bit his lower lip again, but not before he caught a slight smirk on Shusuke's lips. He frowned at the sight of it. "You're enjoying this," he stated quietly.

Shusuke tilted his head to the side innocently, "But of course I am."

He wanted to scowl, but knew the intruder was still watching. Then, ever so slowly, he smirked. _Two can play at this game_, he thought. Tugging his arms free, he reached up and held the prince by his hips. A brief look of puzzlement slipped pass Shusuke's face, but was hastily covered with a smile. Ryoam growled. He wanted to get some sort of reaction from the prince. It was time he got some pay back anyway. Flicking his tongue across his bottom lip, Ryoma pushed his hips up, grinding against the prince. A soft gasp escaped from the prince and he grinned in triumph. He tried again, but Shusuke lifted himself and gently lay onto Ryoma. It was subtle, but Ryoma felt the hard press of an erection. Shocked, he blushed at the feel of Shusuke becoming around from their little "play." Against his own will, he felt the small stirring of his own erection. In some way it was arousing, but distinctly weird since the situation they were in wasn't exactly the right _moment_. Blinking, Ryoma glanced down to the prince where he had nuzzled his face into his chest. He caught a glimpse of red colored cheeks. _So, he wasn't expecting that either_. Ryoma wanted to tease, but as much as he wanted to, he knew he shouldn't, especially with the intruder watching. Still, they had to keep up the appearance if they wanted to fool the intruder. Continuing the scene, Ryoma ran his hands up the prince's back and then back down, sliding lower and lower until they were gripping the prince's soft, round butt. He let out a low growl, gripping tighter, then loosening it, before clasping tighter again. He was practically groping Shusuke's ass until he felt the soft trembling. Something inside of him snapped. Before he knew it, they were grinding against one another, rubbing, panting, and sweating. Shusuke was holding himself up with his arms on either side of him as he rolled his hips. Ryoma groaned, gripping tighter and then pushing up to meet him. He was close, but he noticed a movement from the corner of his eyes.

The black silhouette brought him back to reality, remembering why he and Shusuke were grinding against each other in the first place. He mentally cursed in his head. The figure was quick, launching itself at Shusuke, but Ryoma was quicker. He reached for the sword, bringing it up and over Shusuke just as the sword from the intruder swung down. A loud clashed echoed inside the room as Ryoma blocked the swing. He caught sight of the intruder, noticing that the intruder had hidden its face and body with a large cloth. The intruder jumped back and bolted for the door. Shusuke was already up and grabbing a sword by the time Ryoma was sitting up. Ryoma jumped out of the bed and ran after the assassin. He grabbed the cloth, pulling him back, but quickly released when he saw the shiny glint of the sword. Dodging the sword in time, he parried it and swung for an attack. However, his sword cut through cloth. He tried again, this time knocking the sword from the intruder's hands.

"Stop," Shusuke commanded.

Ryoma looked pass the intruder and found the prince standing in front of the door, blocking it off.

"You have no where left to go. Reveal yourself," Shusuke said.

There was nothing, but silence. Ryoma frowned and was just about to demand the intruder to do as the prince said, but noticed a slightly. He stepped forward, hearing Shusuke yell, but then all he saw was red splattering everywhere. Again, he felt the warm scarlet liquid on his face as it trickled slowly down his cheek. Ryoma stared in horror as the intruder held a tiny knife stained with a sticky red substance. A long, deep gash slid across the intruder's neck, bleeding profusely. The body slumped to the floor, creating a pool of blood on the stone floor. He breathed a shaky breath. Slowly, he dropped his gaze and stared at the dead body. _Another one_. Ryoma knelt onto the cold floor, reaching for the cloth and unraveled it. The intruder's face revealed a young boy in his early teens, probably fourteen, with blond, curly locks and deep blue eyes. _Too young_...he thought.

"That's Duke Lockeford's bed slave," Shusuke said as he shuffled over behind Ryoma.

"Duke Lockeford?" Ryoma asked, glancing over his shoulder and up at the prince.

"Yeah...he was the one next to Duke Hemming at the party."

"..."

"Brunette, long hair, usually tied."

"I remember...so, we'll just say his slave tried to kill you and he'll have to take responsibility. No doubt, he gave the order."

"Even if we can say that, if the salve is dead, we have no other evidence. Duke Lockeford would deny everything and with no other witness, we got nothing. And...the King wouldn't listen to me anyway, especially if it involves him."

"Why not?"

"Because...my uncle is bedding with Duke Lockeford's son."

"...how old is the son?"

"Eleven, about."

Ryoma wanted to gag. Eleven was way too young to be put into such a stressful situation. Shaking his head, he stood. He took one last look at the body. Although he never considered himself a religious man, for once he actually prayed for the young boy lying dead before him. He didn't deserve such a fate.

"Get the guards...and I'll have servant girl bring a bowl of water," Shusuke said.

"Bowl of water? For what?" Ryoma asked, looking back to the prince.

Shusuke raised a brow and then lifted his hand and brushed it across his cheek. Ryoma felt the hard drying crust of blood crumble. He cringed slightly, remembering the splatter of blood from when the young boy slit his own throat. "Right," he muttered, "And we just took a bath."

Despite the horrific scene from earlier, Shusuke smiled at him. "In this world, you'll probably need lots of it."

Groaning, Ryoma turned away and went to get a guard to clean up the mess. After everything was sorted out with a message sent to the king and later being notified that a meeting would be held tomorrow morning, Ryoma settled into the bed. Every now and then, he would glance over to where the dead body use to lay. Only a linger image from his memory remained.

"Do you find it odd?" Shusuke asked him as he settled beside him.

Glancing over to him, Ryoma raised a brow, "What do you mean?"

"That we still have to sleep inside the room where a dead body use to be."

"Er...yeah, but...I think I'm getting use to it."

"You will be seeing more of this."

"I know. And even though it is still...discomforting, I have to get use to it. It's not like I'm honing my sword skills for nothing."

"I do wish you did not need to kill."

Raising a brow, he tilted his head slightly and looked at the prince from the corner of his eyes.

"You are..." the prince stopped and then chuckled.

"What?" Ryoma grumbled.

"I wish there was no need for you, who had never killed a man before in your life, to have to dirty your hands with blood."

"I'm going to have to."

"You're very accepting."

"Not exactly...I'm just..._trying_."

"So, if we do get you back home, what will you do?"

"Forget." Ryoma answered quickly. He glanced at the prince, finding him staring back at him. "When I do get back home, I'd like to forget." He was met with silence with only their breaths ringing in his ears. A few moments later, Shusuke glanced away and lay on the bed.

"Good night," the prince said.

"Night," Ryoma replied and did the same, lying onto the bed and closing his eyes.

Somewhere in the night, he awoke with sweat beading down his face. He sat up slowly and turned to the side. His eyes settled on the body of the prince. Breathing heavily, he lifted his hand and softly raked his fingers through the prince's hair. His eyes glowed in the darkness, shimmering red every few second. He leaned over slightly, making sure not to wake the prince. A slow smile crept across his face as he brushed his lips against Shusuke's ear. _"Il nuvan' metien arta," _he whispered before returning to his side and lying down, allowing sleep to envelope him again.

* * *

**Author's note**: I finally updated! DX I had this chapter in a work in progress, but I never got back to it because...well...I hadn't been in the mood to write lately. I've been reading a bunch of other fanfics. I went through a _Batman/Superman_ phase and now I'm on a _Psych_ phase (I've become addicted to the Shassie pairing. Lassie and Shawn!). Anyways, I decided I had to force myself to sit down and write or I will never get any of my stories done! And so, I hope to get my other stories updated as soon as possible, especially _Love Bot: Jealousy_. By the way, if you see typos...my stories are unbeta'd. I do read them over, but I tend to miss my mistakes since I know what I'm writing and I can bypass the mistakes or just miss it. So, I will try my best to keep my writings free of grammatical errors.

A quick translation on what Ryoma said at the end. He pretty much said "You won't escape me."

Now, to respond to some reviews...late as it may be.

**FranscoiseLaraLapis: **Yes, Seiichi appears in this one too, hehe. Actually, this only happened because there was a Guest review who asked for Seiichi to be in the story in both _Love Bot _and this one. At first I was little reluctant as I wasn't much of a Seiichi person, but then I thought he could play a role, important or not (mostly it had to do with some sort of jealousy). XD And so...he kinda appeared in the stories at the same time, haha.

**Kkfyfe47: **I'll keep that suggestion in mind. It seems like a good way for Fuji and Ryoma to bond. XD


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